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THE  CHRIST 

OF 

THE  FORTY  DAYS. 


REV.  A.  B.  SIMPSON. 

11 


-^i^ 


PUBLISHED  BY 

THE  CHRISTIAN  ALLIANCE  PUB.  CO,, 

692  Eighth  Avenue, 

]SfEw  York, 


"BT-^?' 


■^  L- 


GIFT 


CONTENTS. 

^  Page. 

Chapter  I.    General  View,        -  -       5 

II.  The  First  Week,          -  39 

*'       III.  Tlie  Second  Week,           -  76 

'*■        IV.  The  Lord's  Message  to  the 

UnbeUeving  Church,  112 

V.  The  Third  Week,        -  146 

"       VI.  The  Great  Commission,  174 

*'      VII.  The  Last  Meeting,           -  227 

''    VIII.  The  Ascension,           -  274 


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The  Christ  of  the 
Forty  Days. 


CHAPTER  L 


GENERAL  VIEW. 


"He  showed  Himself  calive after  His  pas- 
sion by  many  infallible  proofs,  being  seen  of 
them  forty  day^j,  and  speaking  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God.**  Actsi:  3 

@  ASTER  morning  is  the  beginning 
of  a  unique  and  most  tenderly  in- 
teresting portion  of  our  blessed 
Saviour's  life.  It  is  the  transition 
period  between  His  earthly  ministry 
and  His  heavenly  exaltation.  Like 
the  Indian  summer  of  the  year,  there 


6  THE  CHRIST  OP 

is  a  tender  veil  of  loveliness  and 
mystery  about  it  which  links  it  with 
both  worlds,  and  makes  it  a  peculiar- 
ly appropriate  pattern  of  life  hid 
with  Christ  in  God,  in  which  we  may 
walk  with  Him  all  our  days,  with 
our  heads  in  heaven  while  our  feet 
still  tread  the  earth  below.  May  the 
Holy  Spirit  vividly  reveal  to  us  such 
glimpses  of  this  blessed  life  as  will 
enable  us  to  reproduce  it  in  our  own 
experience  and  walk  with  Him  with 
a  new  sense  of  His  abiding  presence 
and  glorious  reality  ! 

I.      THE    CHRIST    OF    THE  FORTY  DAYS 
IS   A   LIVING   CHRIST. 

This  glad  Resurrection  morning 
dispels  from  the  religion  of  Jesus  all 
the  shadows  of  the  sepulchre  and  all 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  7 

the  morbid  atmosphere  of  sorrow, 
depression  and  death.  The  Christ  of 
true  Christianity  is  not  a  bleeding, 
thorn-crowned  "  Ecce  Homo,^^  but  a 
glad  and  radiant  face,  bright  as  the 
spring-tide  morning  and  radiant  with 
immortal  life.  '^  I  am  He  that  liveth 
and  was  dead "  is  His  message,  and 
*'  Lo  !  I  am  alive  for  evermore."  Oh, 
may  this  day  impress  upon  our  hearts 
the  reality  of  a  Eisen  and  Living 
Christ,  until  He  shall  be  more  actual 
to  us  than  any  other  personality  and 
we  shall  know  what  it  means,  not 
only  to  be  '^  reconciled  to  God  by  the 
death  of  His  Son"  but  *^much  more 
to  be  saved  by  His  life  ! " 

II.      HE  IS  A  VICTORIOUS   CHRIST. 

What  a  picture  of  easy  and  utter- 


8  THE   CHRIST   OF 

most  triumph  is  that  resurrection 
scene  1  Satan  had  done  his  worst 
and  men  had  done  their  best  to  hold 
the  Captive  of  the  tomb.  But  with- 
out an  effort  the  Mighty  Sleeper 
calmly  rose  before  the  Easter  dawn  ; 
deliberately  laying  off  the  grave 
clothes  and  wrapping  up  the  napkin, 
and  putting  all  in  place  as  naturally 
as  any  of  us  this  morning  arranged 
our  toilet ;  and  then  through  that 
colossal  stone  that  closed  His  tomb, 
He  passed  without  even  rolling  it 
aside  or  breaking  the  seal,  and  ere 
the  guards  could  know  that  He  was 
risen.  He  was  standing  calmly  in  the 
garden,  talking  with  Mary  as  though 
nothing  had  happened.  This  is,  per- 
haps, the    most  overwhelming  im- 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  9 

pression  we  have  received  from  all 
the  incidents  of  His  Eesurrection, 
the  infinite  facility  with  which  He 
put  His  feet  on  every  foe  and  rose 
above  every  obstacle. 

So  too,  we  see  the  same  victorious 
power  expressed  in  the  attitude  of 
the  angel  who  followed  Him,  and 
with  a  single  touch  rolled  away  the 
stone  from  the  supulchre  and  coolly 
sat  down  upon  it,  and  then  looked  in 
the  faces  of  the  keepers  till  they 
grew  pale  with  terror  and  fled  in 
horror  and  dismay,  without  a 
struggle. 

Such  is  our  Risen  Christ  still,  the 
Mighty  Victor  over  all  His  foes  and 
ours.  Could  we  see  Him  now  we 
would  behold  Him   sitting    on    His 


10  THE  CHRIST  OF 

Father's  throne,  undismayed  by  all 
the  powers  of  darkness,  and  ''from 
henceforth  expecting  till  all  His 
enemies  be  made  His  footstool."  Oh, 
how  it  cheers  our  timid  hearts  to  be- 
hold our  glorious  and  victorious  Cap- 
tain, and  hear  Him  say  of  every  ad- 
versary and  over  every  difficulty,  ''  I 
have  overcome  for  you."  God  help 
us  to  see  the  Captain  as  Joshua  be- 
held Him,  and  before  Him  the  walls 
of  every  Jericho  will  fall  and  the 
legions  of  every  opposing  force  shall 
melt  away ! 

UI.      HE  IS  A  SIMPLE  CHRIST. 

How  natural,  how  easy,  how  art- 
less His  manifestations  were  through 
those  blessed  forty  days  I  How  quiet- 
ly He  dropped  down  among  them, 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  11 

unheralded,  unassuming,  unattended 
by  angelic  guards  and  sometimes  un- 
distinguished from  themselves,  in 
His  simple  pi^esence  !  Look  at  Him 
as  He  meets  with  Mary  in  that  first 
morning  interview  ;  standing  like  an 
ordinary  stranger  in  the  garden, 
speaking  to  her  in  easy  conversation, 
''Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  Whom 
seekest  thou  ? "  and  then,  when  the 
moment  for  recognition  comes, 
speaking  to  her  heart  in  the  one  art- 
less word  of  persoiml  and  unutter- 
able love  which  disarmed  all  her 
amazement  and  fear,  and  brought 
back  all  the  old  recollections  and 
affections  of  her  throbbing  heart ! 
See  Him  again  on  the  way  to  Em- 
maus !    How  naturally  He  drops  in 


12  THE   CHRIST  OP 

upon  the  little  company  as  they 
walk  !  How  unaflfectedly  He  talks 
with  them  !  How  easily  He  turns 
the  conversation  to  heavenly  themes, 
and  yet  how  free  from  strain  His 
every  attitude  and  word  !  All  they 
are  conscious  of,  is  a  strange  burn- 
ing in  their  hearts  and  a  kindling 
warmth  of  love.  At  length  they 
constrain  Him  and  He  allows  Him- 
self to  be  pressed  to  enter  in.  He 
sits  down  by  their  table.  He  eats 
bread,  as  if  He  had  been  another 
disciple  like  themselves;  and  only 
when,  as  He  vanishes  quietly  from 
their  sight,  do  they  realize  that  ''It 
is  the  Lord!" 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  13 

And  yet  again  on  the  shores  of 
Tiberias,  how  exquisite  is  His  ap- 
proach !  How  natural  His  greeting, 
how  easy  the  mighty  miracle  of  the 
draught  of  fishes,  how  calm  and  un- 
affected the  meeting  as  they  reach 
the  shore,  the  simple  breakfast  in 
which  He  Himself  takes  part,  and 
the  exquisite  interview  with  Simon 
Peter,  whose  delicacy  of  discrimina- 
tion and  tenderness  no  word  can 
ever  express  !  Oh,  what  a  picture  of 
that  Blessed  One  who  still  lives  to 
be  our  constant  Visitor,  our  ceaseless 
Companion  and  Friend  ;  to  meet  us 
like  Mswy  in  our  hours  of  sorrow,  and 
to  walk  with  us,  as  with  them,  often 
imrecognized  at  first,  or  to  greet  us 
in  the  cold,  sad  morning  after  our 


14  THE   CHRIST  OF 

long  hours  of  waiting  and  toil  and 
failure,  with  His  marvellous  deliver- 
ance and  yet  more  gracious  words  of 
love  and  instruction.  So  near,  that 
not  even  our  nearest  friends  can  come 
so  close  !  So  simple,  that  His  mes- 
sages come  as  the  intuition  of  our 
own  hearts;  and  yet  the  wonderful 
Counsellor  and  the  mighty  God  for 
all  our  perplexities  and  all  our  hard 
places.  Blessed  Christ  of  the  Forty 
Days,  oh,  help  us,  with  a  faith  more 
simple  and  a  love  more  child-like  to 
walk  with  Thee ! 

IV.    THE   MIGHTY   CHRIS1\ 

It  is  hard  for  us  to  realize  the  Pres- 
ence that  comes  with  such  gentle 
footsteps  and  undemonstrative  sinv 
plicity ;  but  back  of  that  gentle  f oim 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  l5 

and  those  noiseless  steps  is  the  Om- 
nipotence that  could  say,  ^'AU  power 
is  given  unto  Me,  in  heaven  and  in 
earth."  All  power  is  His  in  heaven. 
He  is  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the 
Throne,  that  holds  in  His  Hand  the 
seven  seals  and  unrolls  the  scroll  of 
destiny  and  providence  for  all  worlds, 
and  beings,  and  events.  All  the 
mighty  acts  of  God  recorded  in  the 
Old  Testament  were  but  manifesta- 
tions of  His  power.  All  the  mighty 
movements  which  began  with  His 
Ascension  are  the  workings  of  His 
Hands.  All  the  movements  of  Di- 
vine providence  are  subject  to  His 
command.  All  the  mighty  angels  of 
heaven's  myriad  hosts  are  subject  to 
His  bidding.    All  the  powers  of  hell 


16  THE   CHRIST   OF 

tremble  at  His  name !  All  the  prom- 
ises of  God  are  fulfilled  with  His  en- 
dorsement. All  the  laws  of  nature 
are  subject  to  His  mandates. 

And  all  power  on  earth  is  subordi- 
nate to  His  power.  Not  a  wind  can 
blow  without  His  permission,  not  a 
disease  can  strike  but  as  He  allows  ; 
not  a  human  hand  can  hurt  us  while 
He  shields  us  with  His  presence. 
The  circumstances  of  life,  the  ene- 
mies of  our  souls  and  the  infirmities 
of  our  bodies  are  subject  to  His  word  ; 
the  very  thrones  of  earth  are  subordi- 
nate to  His  authority.  He  can  make 
a  Cyrus  send  back  the  tribes  of  Israel 
by  a  national  decree.  He  can  make 
a  Constantino  behold  the  flaming 
Cross  upon  the  sky  and  become  a  fol- 


THE  li^OItTY  DAYS  17 

lower  of  the  Heavenly  Standard.  He 
can  open  nations  and  kingdoms  to 
the  Gospel,  and  so  He  bids  us  go  forth 
and  disciple  all  the  nations  because  of 
His  Almighty  power  in  our  behalf  ! 

How  mighty  the  power  of  the  Res- 
urrection !  It  surmounted  the  power 
of  death  and  the  grave ;  it  passed 
through  the  solid  stone ;  it  defied  the 
stamp  of  the  Roman  government  and 
the  sentinels  of  the  Roman  army.  It 
could  pass  through  the  closed  doois 
without  rending  them  asunder.  It 
could  bring  the  miraculous  draught 
of  fishes  to  the  Apostle's  net  with  a 
single  word  of  command.  It  could 
rise  without  an  effort  in  the  Chariot 
of  His  Ascension.  It  could  anoint 
those  weak  and  timid  men  with  the 


18  THE   CHRIST  OF 

power  that  shook  the  world  and  laid 
the  foundations  of  the  Church. 

Oh,  that  our  eyes  were  but  opened 
that  we  might  behold  the  riches  of 
the  glory  of  our  inheritance  and  the 
exceeding  greatness  of  His  power 
wrought  in  Christ  when  God  raised 
Him  from  the  dea'd  and  set  Him  at 
His  own  right  hand  in  heavenly 
places,  far  above  all  principality  and 
power  and  might  and  dominion  and 
every  name  that  is  named,  and  gave 
Him  to  be  head  over  all  things  to  the 
Church  which  is  His  body.  Why  is 
it  that  we  do  not  receive  and  realize 
more  of  this  Almighty  Christ  ?  Alas  ! 
because  we  cannot  understand  or 
stand  the  fullness  of  His  power.  God 
is  ready  to  work  through  us  the  tri- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  19 

umphs  of  His  omnipotence,  but  we 
must  be  fitted  vessels,  open  to  His 
touch  and  able  to  stand  His  power. 
The  ordinance  that  has  to  bear  a 
mighty  charge  of  powder  must  be 
heavy  enough  to  stand  the  charge 
without  explosion.  And  so  the  heart 
that  is  to  know  His  power,  who  is 
able  to  do  exceedingly  abundantly 
above  all  we  ask  or  think,  must  be 
'*  strengthened  with  might,  by  His 
Spirit  in  the  inner  man,"  so  that 
^'Christ  can  dwell  in  the  heart  by 
faith."  To  think  of  what  Christ  is 
ready  and  willing  to  do  in  us  and  for 
us  would  frighten  some  of  us  into 
apoplexy,  and  actually  to  realize  it 
would  snap  the  frail  thread  of  hfe  it- 
self.    Christ's  heart  is  bursting  with 


20  THE   CHRtST  O^ 

resources  that  the  world  needs,  and 
that  He  is  ready  to  use  if  only  He 
could  find  vessels  ready  and  willing 
to  use  them. 

Oh,  for  the  courage  to  see  the  power 
which  He  is  waiting  to  place  at  the 
service  of  all  who  are  consecrated 
enough  to  use  it  for  His  glory,  and 
close  enough  to  receive  the  heavenly 
baptism  !  He  has  for  us  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  the  power  of  prayer, 
the  power  that  will  conquer  circum- 
stances and  control  all  events  for  His 
will,  and  the  power  that  will  make  us 
ourselves  the  trophies  of  His  grace 
and  the  monuments  of  His  indwelling 
presence  and  victory. 

We  shall  find  this  power  as  we  go 
forth  to  use  it  according  to  His  own 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  21 

commission,  ^^Go  ye  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations."  Nothing  but  a 
work  as  wide  as  the  world  can  ever 
make  room  for  the  power  which 
Christ  is  waiting  to  bestow. 

V.    A  LOVING   CHRIST. 

How  unavailing  all  His  power 
would  be  if  we  were  not  sure  that  it 
is  available  for  us,  and  that  His  heart 
as  tenderly  loves  us  as  His  mighty 
hand  can  help  us.  How  tender  and 
loving  the  Christ  of  the  forty  days ! 
See  Him  in  the  garden  as  He  speaks 
to  Mary  with  tender  sympathy : 
^'  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  whom 
seekest  thou  ? "  and  then  calls  her  by 
her  name  in  tones  which  must  have 
expressed  more  than  words  could  tell. 


22  THE   CHRIST  OP 

What  mourner  can  doubt  henceforth 
His  sympathy  and  love  ?  What  heart 
can  hesitate  to  accept  His  friendship 
which  still  speaks  to  each  of  us  with 
as  direct  and  personal  a  call,  and 
gives  to  each  a  name  of  special  and 
affectionate  regard.  Or  look  at  Him 
again  as  He  meets  witli  Thomas,  the 
doubting  one,  the  willful  disciple 
that  petulantly  demanded  that  the 
Lord  should  meet  him  with  an  evi- 
dence that  He  had  given  to  none 
other,  and  that  no  human  heart  had 
a  right  imperiously  to  claim.  But 
how  tenderly  the  Lord  concedes  eveii 
his  demand,  until  Thomas  is  ashamed 
to  accept  it ;  and,  more  amazed  at  his 
Lord's  magnanimity  and  omniscience 
than  the  evidence  of  His  wounds,  he 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  23 

cries,  ^'My  Lord  and  my  God."  Who 
that  is  harrasssed  with  doubts  and 
difficulties  need  fear  again  to  bring 
them  to  His  presence,  who  with  such 
condescending  love  is  ready  to  meet 
them  all,  and  to  make  our  hearts 
know  by  the  deeper  evidence  of  His 
own  great  love  and  the  revealing  of 
Himself  that  He  is  indeed  the  Son  of 
God? 

And  look  at  his  interview  with 
Simon  Peter  !  What  backslider  need 
ever  doubt  again  the  Saviour's  for- 
giving love,  or  fear  to  come  and  know 
that  he  will  be  welcomed  to  a  nearer 
place  in  His  heart  and  a  higher  service 
in  His  kingdom  if  only  he  can  say  as 
Simon  said, ' '  Thou  knowest  all  things, 
Thou  know^est  that  I  love  Thee. " 


24  THE  CHRIST  OP 

So  tender,  so  forgiving,  so  full  of 
love  He  comes  to- us,  to  dry  our  tears, 
to  satisfy  our  doubts,  to  forgive  our 
failures,  to  restore  our  souls,  and 
then  to  use  us  for  a  higher  service, 
just  because  we  have  learned  through 
our  own  infirmities  the  depths  of  His 
great  love.  The  secret  of  walking 
closely  with  Christ  and  working  suc- 
cessfully for  Him,  is  to  fully  realize 
that  we  are  His  beloved.  Let  us  but 
feel  that  He  has  set  His  heart  upon 
us,  that  He  is  watching  us  from  those 
heavens  with  the  same  tender  inter- 
est that  He  felt  for  Simon  and  Mary, 
that  He  is  working  out  the  mystery 
of  our  lives  with  the  same  solicitude 
and  fondness,  that  He  is  following  us 
day  by  day  as  any  mother  followed 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  25 

her  babe  in  his  first  attempt  to  walk 
alone,  that  He  has  set  His  love  upon 
us,  and,  in  spite  of  ourselves,  is  work- 
ing out  for  us  His  highest  will  and 
blessing,  as  far  as  we  will  let  Him, 
and  then  nothing  can  discourage  us. 
Our  hearts  will  glow  with  responsive 
love.  Our  faith  will  spring  to  meet 
His  mighty  promises,  and  our  sacri- 
•fices  shall  become  the  very  luxuries 
of  love  for  one  so  dear.  This  was  the 
secret  of  John's  spirit.  '^  We  have 
known  and  believed  the  love  that 
God  hath  to  us."  And  the  heart  that 
has  fully  learned  this  has  found  the 
secret  of  unbounded  faith  and  enthu- 
siastic service. 


26  THE   CHKIST   OF 

VI.    THE   PHYSICAL  CHRIST. 

For  He  that  came  forth  from  Jo- 
seph's tomb  came  forth  in  the  flesh, 
with  a  material  body  and  the  same 
form  that  He  had  laid  down  in  death 
and  the  grave.  He  made  this  most 
emphatic  in  His  interview  with  His 
disciples  after  His  resurrection.  He 
wished  them  to  be  thoroughly  as- 
sured that  there  wa:s  no  illusion  about' 
His  body.  '*  Handle  me  and  see  "  was 
His  emphatic  words,  ' '  for  a  spirit  hath 
not  flesh  and  bones  as  ye  see  me 
have." 

Indeed,  His  spiritual  consciousness 
had  not  died  ;  it  was  only  His  body 
that  tasted  death,  and  it  was  His  body 
therefore  that  was  raised  from  death. 
The    Eesurrection  of    Christ,    then, 


THr   FORTY  DAYS  27 

is  a  physical  fact,  and  the  physical 
meaning  o&  the  resurrection  must  be 
of  surpassing  importance.  It  means 
no  less  than  this,  that  He  has  come 
forth  to  be  the  physical  life  of  His 
people  now,  and  in  a  little  while  the 
Fountain  of  their  immortahty  and 
the  Head  of  their  resurrection  bodies. 
What  a  source  of  strength  and  in- 
spiration it  is  for  us  to  know  that  our 
blessed  Lord  has  still  the  same  physi- 
cal organization  that  we  possess,  and 
is  willing  and  able  to  share  with  these 
mortal  frames  His  infinite  and  quick- 
ening life!  He  is  our  living  Bread, 
and  as  He  hved  by  the  Father,  so  we 
may  live  by  Him,  and  not  only  is  He 
the  source  of  health  and  strength  to 
our  material  life,  but  He  cares  for  the 


28  THE   CHRIST   OF 

wants  of  the  body.  Hungry  and  cold 
with  their  fruitless  fishing  that  Gali- 
lean morning,  He  saw  their  need  and 
tenderly  asked  them,  "  Children,  have 
ye  any  meat  ? "  and  then,  filling  their 
empty  nets  and  spreading  the  table 
on  the  shore,  He  said  ''Come  and 
dine."  So  still  He  thinks  of  the  poor 
and  tlie  struggling,  the  hungry  and 
the  helpless  ones,  and  stands  beside 
us  in  our  need,  ready  and  able,  by  a 
word,  to  provide  immediate  and  abun- 
dant supply. 

Are  we  to-day  in  any  place  of  need  ? 
The  Christ  of  the  forty  days  is  nearer 
than  we  think,  able  to  be  ''touched 
with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,'' 
and  ready  to  give  us  the  greatest  help 
in  time  of  need.    Like  the  fishers  of 


Me  forty  day^  29 

yonder  sea,  our  empty  nets  can  be 
filled  at  His  bidding ;  the  perplexed 
workman  can  be  directed  to  the  very 
thing  to  do;  the  wretched  failure  can 
be  all  corrected.  There  is  no  need 
that  He  cannot  supply,  no  counsel 
that  He  is  not  able  to  give,  no  regions 
where  His  power  does  not  penetrate, 
no  disciple  that  He  does  not  love  to 
help  in  every  time  of  need.  Oh,  let 
us  trust  Him  more  with  all  our  cir- 
cumstances and  sorrows,  and  our  ut- 
most need  will  only  prove  the  more 
the  infinite  resources  of  His  love  and 
grace. 

VII.    THE   EVER   PRESENT   CHRIST. 

For  the  Christ  of  the  Forty  Days 
is  not  a  transient  vision  that  has 


30  THE   CHRIST   OP 

passed  away  forever,  but  the  Christ 
of  all  the  ages.  Standing  at  the 
close  of  those  blessed  days  midway 
between  earth  and  heaven,  we  hear 
Him  say,  ''Lol  I  am  with  you  all 
the  days  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world."  That  blessed  present  tense 
has  bridged  the  past  and  the  present, 
and  has  prolonged  those  heavenly 
days  after  the  resurrection,  through 
all  the  days  since  then.  It  is  not  '^I 
will  be,"  as  one  who  has  to  go  away 
and  come  back  again;  but  ^^I  am," 
as  a  presence  that  is  never  to  be 
withdrawn;  unseen,  it  is  true,  but 
as  real  in  my  absence  as  now  in  my 
presence,  I  am  to  remain  among  you." 
For  in  the  spiritual  world  distance 
and  time  are  eliminated  ;  and  just  as 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  31 

the  telescope  can  bring  the  distant 
object  near  to  the  eye,  and  the  tele- 
phone can  present  the  voice  hundreds 
of  miles  away  to  the  listening  and 
attentive  ear,  so  there  is  a  spiritual 
mechanism  that  can  make  Christ  as 
immediate  to  the  heart  as  though 
He  was  still  visibly  by  our  side.  Had 
we  but  another  sense,  all  heavenly 
beings  and  realities  would  be  directly 
present  to  our  perception. 

The  promise  of  this  beautiful  pas- 
sage is  not  only  fulfilled  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Christ,  in  the  heart  of  the 
believer,  which  is  a  literal  and  glor- 
ious truth,  but  it  is  a  presence  with 
us.  It  is  more  than  the  spiritual 
consciousness  of  the  Lord's  indwell- 
ing.    It  is  His  direct  personality  and 


32  THE   CHRIST  O^ 

constant  companionship  with  all  our 
life,  and  His  omnipotent  co-operation 
in  all  our  needs.  It  is  the  presence 
of  One  who  has  all  power  in  heaven 
and  in  earth,  and  whose  presence 
means  the  defeat  of  every  adversary, 
the  solution  of  every  difficulty,  the 
supply  of  every  need.  Oh,  it  does 
seem,  in  these  days,  as  though  we 
could  almost  see  Him  moving  in  the 
midst  of  His  people,  here  and  there, 
in  His  mighty  working,  on  the  mis- 
sion field  with  the  lone  worker,  in  the 
midst  of  dangers  and  foes,  in  the 
busy  streets  of  the  crowded  city,  in 
the  mingled  incidents  of  business 
life,  in  the  whirl  and  confusion  of 
our  intense  life  to-day,  in  every  de- 
partment of  human  society ;  touch- 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  38 

ing  with  His  hands  all  the  chords  of 
influence  and  power,  moving  the 
wheels  of  Providence,  and  working 
out  His  purpose  for  His  people  and 
the  redemption  of  the  world.  Oh, 
that  we  might  see  Him  as  Joshua  saw 
the  Captain  when  He  entered  Canaan 
and  camped  around  Jericho  ;  as  Ste- 
phen saw  Him  when  he  faced  the 
crowd  of  wolfish  foes  that  thirsted 
for  His  blood  ;  as  Paul  saw  Him  amid 
the  tempests  of  the  Adriatic  and  the 
lions  of  the  Coliseum ;  as  John  saw 
Him  in  the  midst  of  the  Throne,  hold- 
ing in  His  hand  the  seven  stars  and 
walking  in  the  midst  of  the  seven 
golden  candlesticks,  and  then  stand- 
ing before  the  Throne  with  all  the 
seals  of  human  destiny  in  His  own 


34:  THE   CHRIST  OP 

right  hand  !  Then,  indeed,  no  trial 
could  discourage  us,  no  foe  intimi- 
date us,  no  fear  dismay  us,  no  work 
overwhelm  us  ;  for  above  every  voice 
of  peril  or  of  hostile  power,  we  would 
hear  His  gentle  whisper,  '^Lo  !  I  am 
with  you  all  the  days,  even  to  the  end 
of  the  age." 

It  is  ''all  the  days,"  not  ''always." 
He  comes  to  you  each  day  with  a 
new  blessing.  Every  morning,  day 
by  day,  He  walks  with  us,  with  a 
love  that  never  tires,  and  a  blessing 
that  never  grows  old.  And  He  is 
with  us  "  all  the  days  ; "  it  is  a  cease- 
less abiding.  There  is  no  day  so  dark, 
so  common-place,  so  uninteresting, 
but  you  find  Him  there.  Often,  no 
doubt,   He   is   unrecognized,   as  He 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  85 

was  on  the  way  to  Emmaus,  until 
you  realize  how  your  heart  has  been 
warmed,  your  love  stirred  and  your 
Bible  so  strangely  vivified,  that  every 
promise  seems  to  speak  to  you  with 
heavenly  reaUty  and  power.  It  was 
the  Lord  !  God  grant  that  His  living 
presence  may  be  made  more  real  to 
us  all  henceforth,  and  whether  we 
have  the  consciousness  and  evidence,  . 
as  they  had  a  few  glorious  times  in 
those  forty  days,  or  whether  we  go 
forth  into  the  coming  days,  as  they 
did  most  of  their  days,  to  walk  by 
simple  faith  and  in  simple  duty,  let 
us  know,  at  least,  that  the  fact  is  true 
for  evermore,  tuat  he  is  with  us, 
a  presence  all  unseen  but  real,  and 
ready     if     we     needed     Him    any 


36  THE  CHRIST  OF 

moment    to    manifest    Himself   foi 
our  relief. 

There  is  a  beautiful  incident  related 
of  the  mother  of  an  English  school- 
boy, that  when  he  was  a  lad  she  sent 
him  to  a  boarding  school,  some  dis- 
tance from  her  home,  where  the  rules 
of  the  school  only  permitted  her  to 
visit  once  a  fortnight.  But  this  was 
more  than  her  mother  he^rt  could 
stand,  and  so,  all  unknown  to  her 
boy,  or  his  teachers,  she  rented  a 
little  attic  overlooking  the  school, 
and  often,  when  he  little  dreamed, 
she  would  sit  in  that  upper  room 
with  her  eyes  on  her  darling  'boy  as 
he  played  in  the  yard  below  or 
studied  in  the  school-room.  He  could 
not  see  her,  nor  did  he  dream  that  she 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  3T 

was  there,  but  had  he  cried,  or  called 
her  name,  or  needed  her  for  a  mo- 
ment he  was  within  her  reach. 

This  is  a  little  parable  of  the  sleep- 
less love  and  the  ceaseless  oversight 
which  our  Saviour  exercises  towards 
His  beloved  ones,  for  He  has  His  eye 
upon  us  by  day  and  by  night ;  and 
although  we  do  not  see  His  face  and 
hands  and  form  as  He  moves  through 
our  pathway,  dissipating  our  foes 
and  clearing  our  way,  yet  He  is 
there,  ever  there  ^^all  the  days  even 
unto  the  end.'^  Let  us  believe  His 
promise,  let  us  assume  the  reality  of 
His  presence,  let  us  recognize  Him 
as  ever  near,  let  us  speak  to  Him  as 
one  ever  by  our  side,  and  He  shall 
ever  answer  us,  either  by  the  whis- 


38  THE   CHRIST  OF 

pers  of  His  love  or  by  the  workings 
of  His  hand. 

Thus  shall  we  never  be  alone,  thus 
shall  we  never  be  defenceless,  thus 
shall  we  never  be  defeated,  thus  need 
we  never  fear.  And  even  should  the 
lonely  vale  itself  open  to  us,  it  shall 
be  but  the  opening  vista  of  a  larger 
vision  and  a  closer  and  nearer  pres- 
ence, as  we  find  that  neither  '^  death, 
nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities, 
nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor 
depth,  nor  any  other  creature  shall 
be  able  to  separate  us  from  the  love 
of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord." 


CHAPTER  11. 


THE  FIRST  WEEK. 


%  s 


^ET  us  linger  in  simple  meditation 
and  daily  fellowship  with  Him, 
upon  the  scenes  and  incidents  of  the 
forty  days.  We  will  look  this  morning 
at  the  three  most  prominent  incidents 
of  the  first  week  after  the  resurrec- 
tion. They  all  occurred  upon  the  first 
day  of  the  week,  the  resurrection  Sab- 
bath. The  first  was  the  interview 
with  Mary  Magdalene  in  the  garden 
in  the  early  morning  ;  the  second,  the 
walk  with  the  two  disciples  in  the 
afternoon  ;  and  the  third,  the  appear- 


40  THE   CHRIST  OF 

ing  to  the  eleven  as  they  waited  in 
the  upper  room  in  the  evening.  Each 
has  its  own  special  lessons, — lessons 
that  will  help  us  to  realize  more  viv- 
idly the  presence  of  Him  who  is  still 
with  us  ^^all  the  days,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  age." 

I.     THE   MORNINa   MEETING  WITH  MARY 
MAGDALENE. 

We  have  elsewhere  spoken  of  this 
incident  as  it  illustrates  her  character. 
Let  us  now  refer  to  it  as  it  reveals  to 
us  her  Blessed  Lord  and  ours. 

1.  It  reveals  to  us  a  Christ  who 
knows  each  one  of  us  by  name.  The 
most  marked  feature  of  all  this  inter- 
view is  the  individuality  of  His  rec- 
ognition.   There  are  two  persons  very 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  41 

distinctly  present.  There  is  no  doubt 
about  the  personality  of  Christ,  and 
there  is  no  more  doubt  about  His  per- 
sonal love  for  Mary  Madgalene.  It  is 
true  she  was  not  prepared  at  once  to 
recognize  Him  and  receive  His  greet- 
ing, but  the  moment  she  was  ready, 
His  heart  was  overflowing  with  the 
one  all-comprehending  word, '  'Mary !" 
Such  a  Christ  we  still  have.  He  call- 
eth  us  each  by  name,  and  amid  the 
myriads  of  the  universe  and  of  His 
own.  He  knows  us  apart  and  loves  us 
for  ourselves.  May  the  Lord  help  us 
to  fully  realize  this  soul-inspiring  con- 
sciousness, that  each  one  of  us  is 
something  to  Jesus,  everything  that 
we  will  let  Him  make  us  !  His  heart 
to  us  to-day  is  only  waiting  for  the 


42  THE   CHRIST  OP 

'^  Amen  "  of  responsive  trust.  "  Yea, 
I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting 
love,  therefore  with  loving- kindness 
have  I  drawn  thee. "  Let  us  go  forth 
to  Avrite  our  name,  ^'the  disciple 

WHOM  JESUS  LOVED." 

2.  The  Christ  who  is  henceforth  to 
be  revealed  to  her  as  a  spiritual  rather 
than  a  fleshly  presence.  This  is  the 
meaning  of  the  caution,  ''  Touch  me 
not  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  to  my 
Father ;  but  go  to  my  brethren  and  tell 
them,  'I  ascend  to  my  Father  and 
your  Father,  to  my  God  and  your 
God.' "  This  seems  to  be  intended  as 
a  gentle  hint  to  her  that  she  is  not 
to  recognize  Him  and  embrace  Him 
too  eagerly  in  the  earthly  way,  but  to 
learn  to  know  Him  as  a  spiritual  pres- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  43 

ence  and  as  the  Ascended  One,  by  a 
touch  that  can  reach  Him  through 
all  the  intervening  spaces  and  in  the 
absence  of  His  visible  form. 

There  were  two  touches^  even  when 
He  walked  the  earth,  by  which  men 
came  iu  contact  with  Him.  There 
was  the  touch  of  mere  physical  ap- 
proach.  To  this  Peter  referred  when 
the  nmltitude  thronged  Him  and 
Christ  asked,  '^Who  touched  me?" 
' '  Why, "  Peter  answered,  ' '  the  multi- 
tude all  touch  you  and  throng  you.' 
''But,"  said  Christ,  '^  Somebody 
TOUCHED  me."  Christ  meant  another 
sort  of  touch,  the  touch  of  faith  and 
spiritual  recognition.  And  this  was 
the  touch  to  which  He  was  educating 
Mary  now,  because  it  was  to  be  the 


44:  THE   CHRIST   OF 

way  of  contact  in  the  coming  ages 
between  Him  and  His  people  ;  the 
contact  which  we  all  may  have  with 
Him  now. 

It  is  very  doubtful  if  Jesus  Christ 
appeared  after  His  resurrection  to 
any  one  who  did  not  know  Him  spir- 
itually, and  were  He  to  come  to  us 
to-day  in  His  mere  natural,  physical 
presence,  it  is  doubtless  if  it  would  be 
a  real  help  to  our  spiritual  commun- 
ion. It  would  rather  distract  us  from 
that  deeper  inner  union  and  fellow- 
ship which  we  have  with  Him  in 
spirit,  and  awaken  njerely  our  out- 
ward senses  to  recognize  Him ;  and 
were  He  to  be  perpetually  with  us  in 
this  external  aspect,  the  inner  senses, 
which  recognize  Him,  would  become 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  45 

enervated  and  paralyzed  for  lack  of 
exercise  and  we  would  really,  in  our 
present  state,  be  separated  from  the 
Lord  in  His  highest  character  and 
attributes.  Therefore  it  was  expedi- 
ent for  them  that  He  should  go  away, 
in  order  that  the  Comforter  might 
come  and  lead  them  into  the  higher 
spiritual  capacity  and  communion. 

This  was  what  He  was  unfolding 
to  Mary,  and  this  is  what  we  need  to 
understand  if  we  would  have  deep 
and  ceaseless  communion  with  our 
Lord.  When  we  have  been  made 
perfect  in  this  spiritual  relationship 
then  we  shall  pass  into  a  highei  physi- 
cal communion,  corresponding  to  His 
own  resurrection  body,  and  with  all 
the  senses  of  our  inner  and  outer  bo- 


46  THE  CHRIST  OF 

ing,  we  shall  apprehend  and  enjoy 
Him  forever.  It  is  the  lack  of  this 
higher  touch  which  makes  it  so  diffi- 
cult for  many  to  receive  the  healing 
of  the  Lord,  but  it  is  as  true  as  ever 
that  as  many  as  touch  Him  are 
made  perfectly  whole. 

3.  This  incident  reveals  a  Christ 
who  is  identified  with  us  in  the  most 
perfect  unity  and  brotherhood,  and 
receives  us  into  partnership  with  all 
His  rights  and  relationships  to  the 
Father.  ' '  Go  and  tell  my  brethren, " 
He  says,  '^  that  I  ascend  unto  my 
Father  and  your  Father,  to  my  God 
and  your  God."  These  are  wonder- 
ful words  ;  higher,  perhaps,  than  wo 
have  dreamed.  It  is  a  great  thing  to 
know  that  we  are  the  sons  of  God, 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  47 

but  it  is  a  greater  thing  to  know  that 
we  are  the  sons  of  God  even  as  Jesus. 
It  is  not  simply  that  we  are  created 
and  born  into  a  sonship  in  the  Father's 
house,  but,  by  union  with  Him,  we 
are  received  into  His  Sonship  with 
the  Father,  and  looking  in  the  face  of 
God  can  say,  '^My  Father  and  His 
Father,  His  God  and  my  God."  Let 
us  fully  realize  and  not  shrink  from 
the  stupendous  meaning  of  these 
words.  The  very  relationship  which 
Jesus  sustains  to  His  Father  He  has 
given  to  us  along  with  Himself  ;  and 
to  make  it  good.  He  has  given  to  us 
His  own  nature,  His  Divine  nature, 
in  the  measure  in  which  we  can  re- 
ceive it  ;  and  so,  with  the  very  nature 
and  love  of  God  Himself  within  us,  it 


48  THE  CHRIST  OF 

is  true  of  us^  ^Uhat  both  he  that 
sanctifieth  and  they  that  are  sancti- 
fied are  all  one  ;  for  which  cause  he 
is  not  ashamed  to  call  us  brethren." 
He  is  the  Son  of  God  as  no  angel  or 
other  created  being  ever  can  be,  the 
Only  Begotten  Son  of  God,  but  it  is 
this  sonship  which  He  shares  with 
us.  And  so  we  are  called,  in  that  won- 
derful passage  in  Hebrews,  ' '  the  first- 
born ones."  We  are  all  recognized, 
not  as  younger  sons,  sustaining  a 
lower  i-elation  to  the  Father  ;  but  as 
First-born  ones,  because  our  sonship 
is  inherited  from  the  First-born  and 
Only-Begotten. 

Let  no  one  be  startled  as  though 
this  was  claiming  equality  with  God. 
No    single    believer    is    equal    with 


THE  FORTY    DAYS  49 

Christ,  but  every  true  disciple  is  part 
of  the  whole  Body,  and  the  whole  Body 
is  one  with  the  Head  and  filled  with 
all  His  fullness.  No  single  one  of  us 
can  hold  all  the  fullness  of  Christ,  but 
the  whole  Body  of  the  redeemed  shall 
hold  it  all,  and  Christ  shall  appear 
throughout  eternity,  not  apart  from 
us  but  as  a  part  of  us  and  we  of  Him. 
Therefore,  it  is  not  mere  resemblance 
to  Christ  but  identity  with  Christ, 
and  joint  heirship  with  Him  of  God 
and  all  His  fullness.  Therefore,  He 
says,  even  of  His  Father's  love, 
^Hhe  love  wherewith  thou  hast  loved 
me  may  be  in  them  and  I  in  them." 
What  is  the  practical  meaning  of 
all  this  ?  It  is  manifold  and  marvel- 
ous.   It  means  that  our  standing  and 


50  THE   CHRIST   OP 

acceptance  are  as  complete  as  His 
own.  It  means  that  we  may  pray  in 
His  Name  so  that  it  will  be  even  as  if 
He  were  praying, — not  we.  It  means 
that  all  His  righteousness  and  nature 
and  personal  attributes  may  be  im- 
parted to  us,  and  appropriated  by  us, 
so  that  He  Himself  will  literally  live 
in  us.  It  means  that  we  are  entitled 
to  all  His  strength  and  life.  It  means 
that  we  inherit  all  His  glory,  and  shall 
sit  with  Him  on  His  throne  as  He  sat 
down  on  His  Father's  throne.  Oh,  it 
is  this  that  makes  our  love  perfect, 
even  in  the  day  of  judgment,  because 
''  as  He  is  so  are  we  in  this  world  !  " 
Beloved,  shall  we  listen  from  the 
Resurrection  Morning,  to  the  echoes 
of  that  message  which  He  bade  Mary 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  61 

teJl  US  all,  "  My  Father  and  your  Fa- 
ther, My  God  and  your  God,"  until 
from  the  Father's  Hps  it  whispers 
back  to  the  rejoicing  heart,  ^^Son, 
thou  art  ever  with  me,  and  all  that  I 
have  is  thine  ? " 

II.     THE   WALK  TO    EMMAUS. 

It  is  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
bright  Sabbath.  Two  simple-hearted 
men,  who  had  been  the  friends  of 
Jesus,  are  walking  from  Jerusalem 
to  a  little  village  in  the  country,  and 
talking  of  the  things  that  have  lately 
come  to  pass  in  connection  with 
Jesus.  Soon  they  are  conscious  of  a 
third,  who  has  incidentally  joined 
them.  There  is  iK^thing  in  His  man- 
ner to  awaken  special  interest  until 


53  THE   CHRIST  01* 

He  begins  to  talk  with  them  about 
the  theme  of  their  conversation,  and 
gradually  leads  it  awhile,  as  He 
opens  up  to  them,  as  an  intelligent 
Rabbi  might  be  expected  to  do,  the 
Old  Testament  Scriptures  concerning 
the  Messiah.  Still  all  they  are  con- 
scious of  is  a  warmth  of  their  hearts 
as  the  light  begins  to  break  on  their 
spiritual  understanding.  They  are 
strongly  drawn  to  their  new  compan- 
ion and  as  they  reach  the  gate  of 
their  little  home,  they  earnestly  press 
Him  to  tarry  with  them  under  their 
humble  roof.  He  consents,  and  pass- 
ing in  sits  down  with  them  to  their 
evening  meal.  Still  acting  as  the 
stronger  spirit,  tkey  allow  Him  to 
preside  and  bless  the  bread  before 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  53 

they  eat.  But  lo  !  as  He  breaks  the 
bread  before  them,  the  spell  that  had 
bound  their  vision  from  recognizing 
Him  is  broken,  and  suddenly  they 
behold  in  His  face  the  old  light  and 
expression  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  ;  it 
grows  bright  with  the  halo  of  His 
heavenly  glory  for  a  moment,  and 
then  He  vanishes  out  of  their  sight, 
and  they  look  at  one  another  with 
amazement  and  joy,  and  know  that 
it  is  the  Lord. 

How  we  thank  the  dear  Master  for 
that  scene  !  How  near  it  has  brought 
Him  to  our  lives  !  How  simple  it  has 
made  His  coming  and  communion  ! 
How  glorious  to  know  that  He  is  the 
same  yesterday,  to-day  and  forever  ! 

h  It  teaches  us  of  the  incidental 


54  THE   CHRIST  OF 

and  casual  coming  of  our  Lord  to  uj 
in  all  the  walk-s  of  life.  This  was  nc 
set  appointment,  but  He  just  droppec 
down  beside  them  and  entered,  with- 
out introduction,  into  their  simple 
conversation.  It  tells  us  that  still  He 
is  willing  to  come  into  the  ordinary 
intercourse  of  our  life,  and  is  really 
with  us,  in  the  work-shop,  in  the 
kitchen,  and  along  the  busy  street. 
Nor  does  it  need  that  we  should  be 
illustrious  and  specially  important, 
for  these  two  disciples  whom  He  thus 
honored  are  but  little  known.  Only 
the  name  of  one  is  left  us,  and  this 
one  cannot  be  certainly  identified  ;  the 
other  we  do  not  even  possess  sufficient 
light  to  speculate  about.  Thank  God 
that  we  do  not  know  them,  for  it  hints 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  65 

to  US  that  the  most  obscure  and  com- 
monplace of  God's  children  may  count 
upon  the  recognition  andcompai^on- 
ship  of  Jesus  in  the  most  common- 
'  place  circumstances  of  their  life. 

"  The  busy  mart,  the  communion  task, 
May  furnish  all  we  ought  to  ask  ; 
Room  to  deny  ourselves— a  road 
To  lead  us  daily  nearer  God.*' 

2.  It  teaches  us  that  He  may  be 
often  with  us  unrecognized.  This  is 
not  spoken  of  as  their  fault.  We  are 
told  that  'Hheir  eyes  were  holden" 
that  they  could  not  know  Him,  and 
later,  that  ''He  opened  their  eyes  and 
they  knew  Him."  There  is  much 
precious  significance  in  this.  The 
Lord  is  often  pxQSieiit  in  our  lives  in 
things  that  we  do  not  dieam  possess 


56  THE   CHRIST    OF 

any  significance.  We  are  asking  God 
about  something  which  needs  His 
mighty  working,  and  the  very  instru- 
ment by  which  He  is  to  work  is  by  our 
side,  perhaps,  for  weeks  and  months ' 
and  years  all  unrecognized,  until,  sud- 
denly, some  day  it  grows  luminous  and 
glorious  with  the  very  presence  of  the 
Lord  and  becomes  the  mighty  instru- 
ment of  His  victorious  working.  He 
loves  to  show  His  hand  through  the 
unexpected.  Often  He  keeps  us  from 
seeing  His  way  until  just  before  He 
opens  it,  and  then  immediately  it  is 
all  unfolded,  and  we  find  that  He  was 
walking  by  our  side  in  this  very  thing, 
long  before  we  even  suspected  its 
meaning. 
He  wants  us  to  recogidze  His  pres- 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  67 

ence  where  we  cannot  see  it  and  where 
nothing  seems  to  speak  of  it,  but"  all 
about  us  is  ordinary  and  human.  Oh, 
it  is  in  the  faces  and  forms  which  seem 
just  as  ordinary  to  us  as  His  did  to 
them,  that  the  Lord  is  often  nearest 
to  us.  Let  us  therefore  walk  hence- 
forth as  though  every  sound  was  the 
foot-fall  of  His  steps,  and  every  per- 
son the  embodiment  of  Himself  ! 

3.  It  teaches  us  of  a  Christ  who 
may  be  always  recognized  by  His 
Word.  For  it  was  thus  He  spoke  to 
them.  He  might  have  told  them  of 
much  besides.  He  could  ha ve  brought 
back  with  Him  the  secrets  of  the  un- 
der world  from  which  He  had  just 
come,  but  He  gave  no  hint  of  its 
^wful  mysteries.     He    might    have 


58  THE   CHRIST  OF 

amazed  them  by  some  picture  of  the 
celestial  country  to  which  He  was 
going  so  soon,  but  He  attempted  not 
to  dazzle  them  with  such  visions.  He 
might  have  poured  out  some  marve]- 
ous  teachings  like  His  own  incom- 
parable parables.  But  no  !  He  simply 
takes  the  old  Bible  and  interprets  it  in 
the  light  of  the  very  things  of  which 
they  had  been  speaking, — His  own 
death  and  resurrection.  S*-Beginning 
at  Moses  and  all  the  prophets  He  ex- 
pounded to  them  from  all  the  Scrip- 
tures the  things  concerning  Himself.  ' 
Thus,  beloved,  we  can  all  have  His 
fellowship  still,  and  thus  we  canevei 
test  every  revelation  and  every  mys- 
tery. Does  it  correspond  with  the 
Scriptures,  and  does  it  speak  of  the 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  59 

things  concerning  Himself?  How 
wonderful  it  must  have  been  to  hear 
Him  expound  the  sacrifice  of  Abel, 
the  offering  up  of  Isaac,  the  Brazen 
Serpent,  the  Paschal  Lamb,  and  all 
the  wondrous  types  that  speak  so  elo- 
quently of  Him  !  So  He  is  willing  to 
talk  with  us  still,  and  make  the  Bible 
live  and  shine  with  heavenly  illumi- 
nation and  vividness,  until  our  hearts 
shall  burn  within  us  as  He  talks  with 
us  by  the  way.  It  is  thus,  beloved, 
that  the  presence  of  Jesus  is  revealed. 
The  Bible  becomes  a  new  book,  a  book 
for  our  hearts,  and  a  book  full  of  our 
living  Saviour.  Oh,  that  He  may 
come  to  us  these  forty  days,  and  thus 
open  to  us  its  deeper  mysteries  of 
life  and  truth,  and  its  meaning  for 


60  THE   CHRIST   OP 

our  generation  and  our  own  life  and 
work  ;  for  this  book  is  something  to 
you  that  it  is  not  to  another,  and  some- 
thing for  our  day  that  it  never  was  to 
the  world  before  ;  and  in  order  to 
make  it  so,  we  must  have  the  living 
Christ  Himself,  to  open  it  to  us  and 
to  open  our  understandings  to  re- 
ceive its  light. 

4.  This  incident  teaches,  however, 
something  more  than  even  the  pre- 
cious word  of  Christ,  for  it  tells  us  of 
His  actual  manifestation  to  them. 
As  He  blessed  and  brake  the  bread 
' '  they  knew  Him. "  Oh,  there  is  such 
a  thing  as  this, — the  actual  revealing 
of  Christ  in  His  personality  to  the 
soul,  until  it  knows  for  itself,  with 
the  consciousness  that  none  can  gain- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  61 

say,  that  He  has  been  there.  It  is 
not  simply  the  consciousness  of  His 
presence  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  for  this  we  may  always  have  ; 
but  there  is  a  direct  revealing  of 
Christ  as  a  Presence  greater  than  our 
hearts,  or  all  hearts — a  presence  that 
sometimes  is  specially  made  manifest 
for  His  own  wise  purpose  to  the  tried 
or  waiting  heart.  Sometimes  He 
comes  a  little  nearer  in  His  own  glori- 
ous majesty,  and  makes  the  spirit  feel 
that  He  has  passed  by  in  all  His  as- 
cended glory,  and  laid  His  hand  upon 
us  and  done  something  for  us  as 
mighty  as  His  own  omnipotence.  So 
sometimes  He  came  to  the  Apostles. 
Such  was  that  day  when  He  visited 
Paul  on  the  way  to  Damascus  and 


62  THE   CHRIST  OP 

conquered  him  by  a  look  and  word  of 
love,  and  then  sent  him  for  ever  more 
on  his  new  and  heavenly  way,  a  flam- 
ing torch  of  light  and  love.  So,  too. 
He  came  in  His  great  life  work,  occa- 
sionally, in  hours  of  crisis,  to  the 
apostle  and  made  him  understand 
that  the  Master  had  been  there  for  a 
brief  moment  and  spoken  the  decisive 
word  which  turned  the  course  of  all 
the  coming  years.  So  He  came  to  him 
at  Corinth  in  the  moment  of  his  de- 
pression and  said,  '^  Fear  not,  for  I  am 
with  thee,  and  no  man  shall  set  on 
thee  to  hurt  thee,  for  I  have  much 
people  in  this  city."  So,  again.  He 
came  to  him  in  that  dark  hour  when 
he  had  just  passed  through  the  awful 
scenes  of  his  arrest  in  Jerusalem  and 


THE   FORTY  :OAYS  63 

his  trial  before  the  Sanhedrim,  and 
said,  ^'Fear  not,  Paul,  for  as  thou 
hast  testified  of  me  at  Jerusalem  so 
must  thou  also  bear  witness  of  me  at 
Rome."  So,  again,  on  the  Adriatic, 
in  that  wild  hurricane.  He  stood  for 
a  moment  on  the  midnight  deck  and 
gave  the  word  which  brought  all  that 
crew  to  land.  And  so  in  the  court  of 
Nero,  when  all  forsook  him  ;  and  in 
the  Coliseum,  when .  the  lions  con- 
fronted him,  he  said,  ^^The  Lord^ 
stood  by  me  and  strengthened  me, 
and  I  was  delivered  out  of  the  mouth 
of  the  lion." 

So  still  He  comes  to  us  at  times, 
just  for  a  moment,  perhaps,  but  that 
moment  is  enough  to  heal  our  bodies 
from  the  wreck  of  disease,  to  rescue 


64:  THE   CHRIST  OF 

US  from  some  hour  of  extremity  or 
peril,  or  to  cover  all  the  future  with 
blessing  and  power.  He  knows  when 
we  need  the  mighty  visitation.  We 
may  not  see  it  with  our  outward  eyes, 
but  the  soul  will  be  conscious  that  He 
has  passed  by,  and  that  things  can 
never  be  again  as  they  have  been  be- 
fore, and  over  all  our  life  is  written 
Jehovah  Shammah.  Blessed  promise 
for  every  loving  disciple,  —Lord,  help 
us  to  claim  it  for  ourselves,  and  do 
thou  make  it  real  to  every  one  of  us 
some  time  during  these  Forty  Days,^ 
'^  If  a  man  love  me  he  will  keep  my 
words,  and  I  will  love  him  and  will 
manifest  myself  unto  him." 

5.  This  incident  teaches  us  that  the 
manifestation  of  Christ's  special  pres- 


THK  FORTY  DAYS  65 

ence  is  transient  and  is  speedily  with- 
drawn ;  and  so  the  moment  th^y  rec- 
ognize Him  He  vanishes  out  of  their 
sight.  Had  He  Hngered^  they  would 
have  been  thrown  off  the  former  plane 
of  f aith^  and  disarmed  for  the  simpler 
walk  to  which  He  called  them.  One 
glimpse  was  enough  for  the  present, 
and  in  the  memory  of  that  look  they 
must  walk  in  simple  trust,  even  as 
the  mariner  on  the  voyage  catches 
one  glimpse  of  the  star  and  sails  by 
that  one  glimpse  for  days  on  the  path- 
less sea.  For  ' '  we  walk  by  faith  not 
by  sight/'  and  'Hhough  now  we  see 
Him  not,  yet  behoving  we  rejoice  with 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 


66        THU  CHRIST  OF 

III.  THE  MEETING  IN  THE  UPPER  ROOM 

WITH  THE  ELEVEN. 

• 

This  is  the  sequel  of  the  afternoon 
and  follows  close  upon  it.  It  is  in- 
tended, therefore,  to  teach  still  further 
lessons  about  the  Eisen  Lord.  It  is 
the  incident  recorded  by  both  Luke 
and  John  of  the  evening  of  the  first 
day  of  His  Eesurrection.  Through 
the  closed  doors  of  the  Upper  Koom 
He  quietly  entered,  and  spreading  out 
His  hands  in  benediction  He  twice 
repeated  the  gracious  word,  '^  Peace 
be  unto  you  ;  "  and  then  added,  ''As 
the  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send 
I  you; ''  and  breathing  upon  them  said, 
''Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost."  In 
this  interview,  also.  He  made  His 
physical  identity  very  real  and  cer- 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  67 

tain  to  their  doubting  hearts.  ^'He 
showed  them  His  hands  and  His^feet/' 
and  ate  among  them  as  of  old.  From 
this  dehghtful  incident  we  learn  for 
our  comfort : — 

1.  That  Jesus  Christ  has  physical 
life  and  has  a  real  body  just  like  our 
own,  with  every  member  and  organ 
complete,  even  in  His  glorified  hu- 
manity. This  gives  intense  reality 
to  the  conception  of  our  Lord.  He 
is  no  shadowy  apparition,  but  the  act- 
•ual  flesh  and  even  bones,  which  they 
could  handle  and  see,  and  which 
could  partake  of  food.  This  body 
was  the  real  subject  of  the  resurrec- 
tion, for  His  spirit  had  never  died  ; 
and  this  body  is  the  type  and  pledge 
of  our  resurrection  in  the  body,  and 


68  THE  CHRIST  05* 

the  source  of  that  physical  heahng 
which  we  now  may  draw  from  Him 
as  the  foretaste  and  earnest  of  our 
own  future  resurrection. 

2.  We  learn,  also,  that  His  body  is 
infinitely  spiritualized  and  exalted 
a.bove  even  its  former  state.  It  is 
the  same  body,  but  it  is  unspeakably 
finer,  mightier  and  more  glorious. 
The  same  piece  of  steel  may  be  re- 
fined from  the  ordinary  nail  to  the 
exquisite  hair  spring,  but  it  is  still 
the  same.  Nay,  it  could  even  be 
converted  into  vapor  by  chemistry, 
but  it  would  still  have  the  property 
of  matter.  It  could  become  intan- 
gible to  the  touch,  and  invisible  to 
the  eye,  and  be  simply  an  ethereal 
fluid,   and  then  it  could  be*  trans- 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  6& 

formed  again  to  the  solid  state.  We 
know  yet  but  little  of  the  converti- 
bility of  matter,  and  what  we  know 
is  a  coarse  illustration,  -  almost  un- 
worthy of  the  subject  before  us, — of 
Christ's  body.  We  may  not  under- 
stand all  the  properties  of  the  Eesur- 
rection,  but  let  us  reverently  believe 
the  simple  facts,  and  believingly  re- 
ceive the  life  of  our  glorious  Head 
who  has  made  us  members  of  His 
body,  His  flesh,  and  His  bones. 

3.  The  Christ  of  this  beautiful  pic- 
ture is  the  Messenger  of  Peace  to 
our  troubled  hearts.  The  secret  of 
rest  is  to  receive  the  risen  Christ 
and  accept  His  two-fold  peace.  First, 
peace  with  God  on  the  ground  of  His 
comj)lete  atonement ;  and,  secondly, 


70  THE  CHRIST  OF 

^^the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all 
understanding,"  through  His  indwell- 
ing presence  as  the  rest  of  our 
troubled  hearts. 

4.  Not  only  peace,  but  power,  is  the 
gift  of  the  Living  One.  ' '  He  breathed 
on  them  and  said,  'Receive  ye  the 
Holy  Ghost.'"  This  was  the  begin- 
ning of  Pentecost, but  not  its  fullness. 
It  is  from  the  lips  of  Jesus  that  we 
must  ever  receive  the  fullness  of  the 
Comforter,  even  as  His  very  breath  ; 
and  so  He  waits  to  breathe  on  each 
of  us,  as  oft  as  He  touches  us,  the 
fresh  anointing  of  the  very  same 
Spirit  who  dwelt  in  Him  and  who 
comes  to  us  colored,  softened,  sweet- 
ened by  His  indwelling  in  the  blessed 
Jesus  and  as  the  very  Spirit  of  Jesus, 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  Yl 

This  is  our  power,  and  this  power  we 
must  receive  by  appropriating  faith, 
and  its  faithful  appropriation  to  His 
service  and  glory. 

5.  The  great  commission  for  service 
of  course  accompanies  the  promise 
and  touch  of  power.  ''  As  the  Father 
hath  sent  me  even  so  send  I  you." 
Indeed,  this  is  the  great  object  of  all 
the  manifestations  of  the  Eisen  Christ. 
To  each  of  the  disciples  He  either  di- 
rectly gives,  or  at  least  intimates,  the 
same  great  obligation  to  bear  to  others 
the  blessing  which  they  cannot  keep 
for  themselves  without  losing  it.  Oh, 
let  us  realize  that  this  Christ  of  the 
Forty  Days  is  the  Christ  who  is  reach- 
ing out  to  all  who  know  Him  not,  and 
who  would  be  impatient  of  us  if  we 


72        .  THE   CHRIST   OP 

were  content  to  receive  His  blessing 
for  ourselves  alone.  He  sends  us 
forth  with  His  blessing,  clothes  us 
with  His  own  authority,  gives  us  His 
very  own  Name  and  power.  The 
Lord  help  us  to  be  faithful  to  Him 
below  as  He  faithfully  represents  us 
before  His  Father  above. 

And  so  these  three  appearings  rep- 
resent three  calls.  The  first  is  His  com- 
ing to  the  individual ;  the  second,  His 
coming  to  the  little  company,  and  the 
third,  to  the  assembled  congregation 
of  believers.  So  still  He  comes  to  us 
alone,  comes  in  our  friendships  and 
family  circle,  and  comes  in  the  as- 
sembly of  His  saints. 

Again,  the  first  was  His  coming  as 
a  friend,  the  second  as  a  teacher,  tho 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  Y3 

third  as  a  Master  to  send  forth  His 
disciples  to  His  work.  And,  finally, 
the  first  emphasizes  the  Christ  Him- 
self, the  second  His  Word,  and  the 
third  His  Spirit. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  what  does 
all  this  mean  for  us  to-day?  Not 
only,  beloved,  that  these  forty  days 
may  be  prolonged  for  us  until  His 
coming  again,  but,  perhaps,  that  in 
these  last  times  they  may  be  specially 
repeated  as  the  precursors  of  His  Sec- 
ond Coming.  For  as  He  gradually 
and  slowly  withdrew  from  earth,  lin- 
gering those  forty  days  from  the 
Cross  to  the  Throne,  so  gradually  will 
He  return  ;  and  before  we  see  Him  in 
the  clouds  we  shall  be  conscious  of  a 
nearer  presence  on  the  earth  below. 


74  '   THE  CHRIST  OF 

It  is  said  that  a  Eussian  Emperor 
used  to  visit  incognito  all  parts  of  his 
realm,  that  he  might  know  his  people 
and  be  able  rightly  to  rule  them. 
Were  it  strange  that  blessed  Christ 
should  even  now  be  passing  to  and 
fro  about  this  earth,  on  many  a  special 
inspection,  before  He  erects  His 
Throne  and  calls  His  Cabinet  around 
Him  from  the  men  and  women  whom 
He  has  proved  and  tried  ?  We  know 
that  Nehemiah,  as  he  returned  to 
Jerusalem,  went  out  alone  and  sur-  - 
veyed  the  ruined  city,  and  then  sum- 
moned his  hosts  to  restore  it ;  and  so 
Christ,  even  to-day,  in  the  dark  night 
of  the  ages,  is  walking  about  Zion 
surveying  her  bulwarks  and  her 
ruined  towers,  and  preparing  for  her 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  ^5 

Restoration  in  Millennial  glory.  Oh, 
that  we  may  know  Him  now  and  be 
with  Him  then,  that  we  may  not  miss 
the  Morning  Star,  and  so  be  up  in 
time  to  pass  full-robed  into  the  Wed- 
ding Feast  with  the  Risen  Sun  of 
Righteousness  on  that  Millennial  Day 
which  is  drawing  nigh  !    Amen. 


^3^ 
W 


CHAPTEE  III. 


THE  SECOND  WEEK. 


THE   UNBELIEVING   DISCIPLE. 

^;xHE  meeting  on  the  first  Sab- 
t  bath  evening  in  the  upper  cham- 
ber had  found  one  disciple  absent. 
'^Thomas  called  Didymus  was  not 
with  them  when  Jesus  came."  The 
disciples  seem  to  have  sought  him 
during  the  days  that  followed,  and 
carried  to  him,  in  his  discouragement 
and  despondency,  the  joyful  tidings 
of  the  Master's  appearing.  But  his 
true  and  tender  heart,  just  because  it 
loved  so  much,  was  unable  to  take  in 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  ITY 

the  message  which  seemed  too 
good  to  be  true ;  and  with  an  obsti- 
nacy born  not  only  of  self-will  and 
unbelief  5  but  also,  perhaps,  in  some 
measure,  of  a  love  that  would  not 
dare  to  trust  its  hopes  to  anything 
less  than  absolute  certainty,  he  de- 
clared, ''Except  I  shall  see  in  His 
hands  the  prints  of  the  nails,  and 
thrust  my  hand  into  His  side,  I  will 
not  believe."  At  length  the  week  is 
past,  and  the  following  First  Day 
evening  finds  them  again  assembled 
to  talk  about  the  one  absorbing  theme. 
Suddenly,  as  before,  Jesus  reveals 
Himself  in  their  midst,  and  instantly 
approaching  Thomas,  He  holds  out  to 
him  His  hands  and  opens  His  garment 
for  him  to  thrust  his  fingers  into  His 


78  THE   CHRIST  OP 

once  wounded  side.  The  act  is,  doubt- 
less, free  from  all  severity  or  even 
suggestion  of  harshness  and  censori- 
ousness.  With  tenderest  condescen- 
sion, He  seems  to  entirely  look  over  the 
obstinate  unreasonableness  of  the  dis- 
ciple, and  to  be  anxious  only  to  remove 
his  difficulties  and  to  help  him  to  be- 
lieve, for  He  adds,  ^'Be  not  faithless 
but  believing."  But  Thomas  is  over- 
whelmed, not  so  much  by  the  physi- 
cal evidences  presented  to  him,  as  by 
the  heart-searching  omniscience  of  his 
Lord  and  the  tender  grace  that  has  so 
submitted  to  his  proud  and  unbeliev- 
Tiig  demands  ;  and  refusing,  it  would 
seem,  to  accept  the  proffered  evidence, 
he  throws  himself  at  his  Master's  feet, 
with  one  adoring  cry,  '^My  Lord  and 


•  THE   FORTY  DAYS  79 

my  God. "  And  as  Jesus  beholds  him 
He  adds  with  gentle  reproof,  and  yet 
benediction,  ^'Thomas,  because  thou 
hast  seen  me,  thou  hast  believed; 
blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen 
and  yet  have  believed." 

What  are  the  lessons  of  this  beauti- 
ful scene  for  us,  and  how  does  the 
Lord  still  reproduce  this  incident  of 
the  Forty  Days  in  our  lives  ? 

1.  It  reveals  a  Christ  who  specially 
recognizes  and  honors  the  Sabbath 
Day. 

True,  it  was  not  the  Hebrew  Sab- 
bath, but  the  first  day  of  the  week  ; 
but  advisedly  we  call  it  the  Sabbath, 
for  it  has  undoubtedly  taken  the  place 
of  the  hallowed  Old  Testament  Sab- 
bath, and  surely  the  name  is  prefera- 


80  THE  CfiRlST  0^ 

ble  to  the  heathen  Sunday,  called  after 
one  of  the  gods  of  the  Anglo-Saxons. 
Of  course,  ^Hhe  Lord's  Day  "is  the 
sweetest  name,  but  we  cannot  always 
force  it  into  the  phraseology  of  cur- 
rent speech  ;  and  between  the  two 
names  which  usually  denote  the  day, 
it  certainly  is  preferable  to  use  the 
Bible  name  where  we  cannot,  without 
pedantry,  employ  the  simpler  '^Lord's 
Day  "  of  the  New  Testament.  Christ 
has  undoubtedly  taught  us  that  He  is 
Lord  of  the  Sabbath  Day,  and  as  its 
Lord  He  has  adopted  it  and  modified 
it  by  a  change  of  time  and  a  change 
and  elevation  of  its  spirit  and  signifi- 
cation. There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
among  the  instructions  which  he  gave 
to  His  disciples  during  the  Forty  Days, 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  81 

when  we  are  told  that  *^  He  spake  to 
them  of  the  things  pertaining  to  the 
kingdom  of  God,"  the  Lord  revealed 
to  them  abundant  reasons  and  gave 
them  authoritative  commands  for  the 
change  of  the  day,  or  their  own  prac- 
tice would  not  have  been  changed,  as 
we  find  that  it  was.  So  for  us  their 
conduct  is  conclusive  of  something 
back  of  it,  namely,  His  own  explicit 
injunctions. 

We  believe,  therefore,  that  He  took 
the  Old  Testament  Sabbath,  which 
had  come  down  through  the  ages  and 
passed  through  Judaism,  a  tempo- 
rary dispensation  that  for  a  time 
linked  itself  with  the  Sabbath  which 
was  much  older,  and  that  he  incor- 
porated it  into  the  New  Testament 


82  THE  CHRIST  OF 

system,  with  the  added  significance 
of  His  Resurrection  and  the  appro- 
priate change  from  the  day  that  only 
signaUzed  the  finishing  of  creation, 
to  that  which  expressed  the  beginning 
of  the  new  creation  which  the  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  has  introduced  ;  and 
as  He  designed  it  to  possess  a  special 
significance.  He  Himself  observed  it 
with  the  most  sacred  emphasis. 

It  is  very  impressive  that  he  should 
have  held  Himself  from  the  presence 
of  His  brethren  for  an  entire  week, 
that  He  might  mark  the  more  em- 
phatically His  coming  the  second  time 
on  this  dL.y.  All  His  previous  appear- 
ings  had  been  on  the  same  day  the 
previous  week,  and  He  allows  the 
long  interval  of  six  days  to  pass,  not- 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  83 

withstanding  all  their  longing  to  be- 
hold Him  again,  and  the  affectionate 
interest  of  His  own  loving  heart  to 
them,  that  He  might  come  to  them 
again  on  the  first  day  and  signalize 
their  meeting  in  the  upper  chamber 
as  the  foundation  of  the  permanent 
worship  of  the  future  church. 

Wise  and  happy  are  they  who  thus 
imitate  their  Lord  and  separate  this 
hallowed  day  from  other  days  unto 
Him  and  His  fellowship  and  service  ! 
The  scrupulous  observance  of  the 
Lord's  day  will  always  be  found  to  be 
a  test  of  consistent  Christian  living, 
and  a  source  and  channel  of  strength 
and  grace  for  all  the  week.  The  coun- 
tries that  have  desecrated  the  Lord's 
day  are  marked  by  irreligion,  immo- 


84  THE   CHRIST  OF 

rality  and  national  decline,  and 
those  that  honor  God's  day  are  corre- 
spondingly blessed.  And  the  individ- 
uals who  hold  this  sacred  day  distinct 
from  secular  care  and  occupation  will 
always  find  that  it  is  the  key  to  a 
happy,  holy  and  successful  week,  and 
that  they  who  rob  it  of  its  rest  and 
sacredness  rob  themselves  and  not  the 
altar  of  their  God.  Like  the  best  room 
of  our  house,  it  should  be  kept  apart 
from  the  work-bench  and  the  imple- 
ments and  employments  of  our  secu- 
lar toil,  and  as  we  would  not  bring  the 
kitchen  and  the  shop  into  our  parlor, 
so  let  us  not  take  our  bartering  and 
bargaining,  our  secular  cares  and 
plans,  our  newspapers  and  our  letter- 
writing,  and  all  the  confusion  and  tur- 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  85 

moil  of  the  week  into  its  inner  cham- 
ber, which,  hke  the  ancient  Holy  of 
Holies,  should  be  for  the  Lord  alone 
and  the  choicest  blessings  of  His  pres- 
ence and  communion.  It  is  not  the 
sanction  of  law  that  makes  it  sacred, 
but  the  higher  law  of  love  and  blessing 
which  Jesus  has  brought  to  it.  It  is 
the  day  we  keep  for  Him,  and  we  maj 
be  very  sure  it  is  the  day  that  He  keeps 
for  us  and  the  day  in  which  He  comes, 
above  all  others,  to  meet  His  own  in 
His  own  sacred  courts  and  in  their 
secret  closets.  Let  us  remember, 
therefore,  that  the  Christ  of  the  Forty 
Days  is  still  the  Christ  pre-eminently 
of  the  First  Day,  whose  presence  and 
benediction  will  still  overshadow, 
until  the  end  of  time,  the  Christian 


86  THE   CHRIST  OF 

Sabbath  and  make  it  the  Day  of  days. 

2.  The  Christ  of  the  Forty  Days  is 
one  who  comes  on  the  Sabbath  to 
speak  to  the  very  hearts  and  consci- 
ences and  experiences  of  His  disciples. 

He  is  one  who  knows  what  they 
have  been  doing  all  the  week  and 
what  they  have  been  thinking  and 
saying.  He  had  missed  Thomas  that 
former  Sabbath  evening,  and  knew 
well  what  it  was  going  to  cost  Him. 
He  had  heard  his  willful  words  and 
unbelief  during  the  week  in  answer 
to  his  brethren.  He  shows  him  that 
He  knows  all  his  sin  and  doubt.  And 
so  still  He  meets  us  on  this  day  and 
in  His  house.  Have  we  not  often 
wondered  as  we  felt  our  hearts  un- 
veiled and  our  inmost  thoughts  re- 


THE    FORTY    BAYS  87 

vealed  by  some  message  from  His  ser- 
vant that  seemed  to  show  us  all  we 
ever  did,  and  almost  to  be  the  echo  of 
our  own  thoughts  during  the  days 
that  had  passed  before  ?  Perhaps  we 
had  instinctively  felt  that  somebody 
had  been  reporting  our  words  or  our 
acts  to  the  preacher.  Perhaps  the 
very  question  that  we  have  been  ask- 
ing and  wishing  somebody  would 
answer,  comes  back  to  us  in  the  light 
of  His  word,  as  spoken  by  one  who 
knew  not  of  our  thoughts,  and  we 
wonder  and  adore, like  Thomas,  at  the 
feet  of  Him  whose  '^word  is  quick 
and  powerful,  sharper  than  any  two- 
edged  sword,  piercing  even  to  the 
dividing  asunder  of  the  soul  and 
spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and   mar- 


88  THE   CHRIST   OF 

row,and  is  a  discerner  of  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart.  Neither  is 
there  any  creature  that  is  not  mani- 
fest in  His  sight,  but  all  things  are 
naked  and  open  to  Him  with  whom 
we  have  to  do." 

Nor  is  this  always  accompanied  by 
a  sense  of  reproof  and  condemnation, 
for  it  is  most  comforting  to  know 
that  we  are  in  the  presence  of  One 
who  has  already  diagnosed  our  disease 
and  laid  His  hand  upon  the  sore  that 
He  might  heal  it,  and  we  feel  like  add- 
ing with  the  Apostle,  ^'  Let  us,  there- 
fore, come  boldly  to  the  throne  of 
grace  that  we  may  obtain  mercy  and 
find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need." 

It  is  very  touching  to  notice  how 
promptly  the  Master  went  at  once  to 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  89 

Thomas.  The  very  first  that  He 
sought  out  was  the  one  who  was 
troubled  and  perplexed.  And  so  this 
morning  if  there  be  a  heart  that  has  a 
single  care  or  questioning,  it  is  to  this 
one  that  He  is  coming  now  with  help 
and  blessing.  He  has  light  for  your 
perplexity,  strength  for  your  weak- 
ness, comfort  for  your  sorrow,  love 
for  your  loneliness  and  supply  for  all 
your  need.  For  His  blessing  is  always 
in  season  and  exactly  suited  to  the 
very  need  of  the  present  moment. 
Let  us,  therefore,  bring  Him  even  our 
darkest  doubts,  our  deepest  despond- 
encies, our  most  unworthy  thoughts, 
the  things  we  naturally  would  seek  to 
hide ;  for  He  knows  all  already  and 
has  come  to  deliver  us  from  them  and 


90  THE   CHRIST   OF 

bring  us  grace  and  help  in  the  time  of 
need;  that  is,  the  very  grace  we  need 
to-day. 

3.  We  learn  from  this  story  that  the 
Christ  of  the  Forty  Days  is  a  Christ 
of  infinite  patience  and  tenderness  to 
the  doubting  and  even  to  the  sinning. 

How  gentle  His  treatment  of 
Thomas, — how  free  from  all  upbraid- 
ing! how  careful  He  was  to  avoid 
every  irritation  and  offence,  and  to 
withold  the  gentle  reproof  He  did  ut- 
ter until  Thomas  was  restored  !  He 
even  condescended  to  meet  His  im- 
perious demand  literally  and  fully, 
and  conceded  all  that  Thomas  claimed. 
He  knew  it  was  not  the  highest  kind 
of  faith  to  give  Thomas,  but  He  gave 
him  what  he  asked  and  then  told  him 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  91 

how  much  better  the  higher  faith 
would  have  been.  How  gently  He 
has  led  us  all !  How  many  times  He 
has  answered  prayer  in  temporal 
things  for  us  as  the  sign  of  His  will- 
ingness to  do  greater  things,  and  given 
us  evidences  of  His  love  and  care,  to 
nurture  our  faith  to  higher  ventures 
and  achievements  !  How  tenderly  He 
has  borne  with  us  in  our  backslidings 
and  our  unbeliefs  !  How  much  He 
has  done  for  our  imperfect  faith  ! 
How  often  He  has  forgiven  our  un- 
worthy doubts,  and  even,  when  our 
faith  failed,  did  not  suffer  His  faith- 
fulness to  fail,  so  leading  us  on  gently 
until  we  had  learned  to  trust  Him  in 
some  measure  worthy  of  His  faithful- 
ness,love  and  power.   If  there  be  only 


92  THE  CHRIST    OF 

anhonestpurpose,Hewill  take  the  faith 
that  is  just  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed, 
and  cherish  it  into  maturity  and  do 
exceedingly  abundantly  above  all  its 
deserving. 

Even  the  honest  sceptic  is  not  re- 
jected from  His  mercy,  and  held  in  so 
far  as  he  will  follow  the  light  he  al- 
ready possesses.  The  prayer,  ^'God 
help  me  if  there  be  a  God,"  if  it  is  all 
the  prayer  the  doubting  can  offer  will 
not  be  in  vain,  as  has  been  sometimes 
strangely  proved.  The  soul  strug- 
gling from  old  traditions  into  the  full- 
ness of  the  gospel,  and  slowly  letting 
go  its  limitations  and  prejudices,  need 
not  be  discouraged  if  it  does  not  get  all 
at  once  into  freedom.  The  Master  will 
take  all  that  you  can  give  and  will 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  93 

lead  you  further  if  you  will  follow  on. 
The  suffering  one,  who  has  caught 
a  glimmer  of  the  light  of  the  healing 
power  of  the  Great  Physician,  need 
not  fear  that  he  will  be  rejected  be- 
cause he  is  struggling  with  doubts 
and  fears.  Only  follow  the  light  that 
is  clear,  and  press  on  into  all  that  is 
added,  and  ' '  ye  shall  know  if  ye  follow . 
on  to  know  the  Lord.''  ''  He  will  not 
break  the  bruised  reed  nor  quench  the 
smoking  flax,"  nor  will  he,  amid  all 
your  fluctuations,  *^  fail  or  be  discour- 
aged with  you  till  He  shall  have 
brought  forth  judgment  into  vic- 
tory." Blessed,  patient  Christ,  how 
thou  hast  borne  with  us!  How  thou 
hast  lifted  us  up  when  we  were  fallen, 
and  brought  us  back  from  our  stum- 


94  THE   CHRIST  OF 

bling  and  ''established  our  goings  !" 
Oh,  help  us  to  be  more  like  thee  in 
our  gentleness  and  patience  with  them 
that  are  out  of  the  way  ! 

4.  This  incident  teaches  us  that  the 
true  answer  to  all  our  doubts  and  diffi- 
culties is  the  revelation  of  Christ 
Himself. 

Jesus  healed  Thomas  of  his  scepti- 
cism, not  by  reasoning  with  him,  but 
by  showing  him  Himself.  He  reached 
out  and  showed  to  him  the  marks  of 
the  nails,  and  opened  His  bosom  and 
said,  /'Eeach  hither  your  hand  and 
thrust  it  into  my  side  and  feel,  if  you 
will,  the  very  beating  of  my  heart." 
And  Thomas  needed  no  more  ;  he  had 
seen  the  Lord,  he  had  felt  His  living 
flesh,  and,  above  all,  he  had  realized 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  95 

His  heart-searching  omniscience  and 
he  was  satisfied. 

This  is  the  answer  to  all  our  doubts 
and  questionings.  This  is  the  an- 
swer God  has  given.  For  ^^  God,  who 
at  sundry  times  and  in  divers  man- 
ners spake  in  time  past  unto  the  fa- 
thers by  the  prophets,  hath  in  these 
last  days  spoken  unto  us  by  His  Son. " 
Jesus  Christ  is  God's  last  word  to  us. 
The  sceptic  is  not  going  to  be  con- 
vinced by  your  reasoning,  but  by 
God's  Christ.  Show  him  the  Lord 
Jesus,  the  marvelous  though  simple 
story  of  His  life,  the  vivid  picture  of 
His  death,  but  above  all  the  tost).- 
mony  of  His  Eesurrection,  and  the 
revelation  of  His  living  presence  and 
power  to-day  among  His  people  as 


96  THE  CHRIST  OF 

the  unchanging  Christ  of  the  Forty 
Days,  and  He,  too,  will  say,  '^  My  Lord 
and  my  God." 

Christ  wants  us  to  show  Him  to 
the  world.  Our  argument  is  not  our 
logic  and  theology,  but  our  Lord  Him- 
self. ''Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto 
me."  This  is  all  He  needs,  that  we 
shall  tell  about  Him  and  make  Him 
real  to  men.  This  also  is  the  solution 
of  all  the  sinner's  difficulties.  You 
cannot  save  him  by  preaching  theol- 
ogy to  him,  but  show  him  Christ,  his 
crucified,  living,  welcoming  Saviour, 
and  all  his  doubts  have  fled.  This 
is  the  solution  of  all  questions  about 
sanctification.  We  may  seek  for 
blessings  and  experiences,  for  states 
and  conditions,  and  find  that  we  have 


^THE  FORTY  DAYS  97 

to  go  over  it  all  again  and  again  ;  but 
let  us  only  see  Jesus  ^^made  unto  us 
of  God  our  wisdom,  righteousness, 
sanctification  and  redemption,"  and 
we  are  satisfied,  and  go  forth  with 
the  joyful  cry,  ^^I  live,  yet  not  I  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me."  "I  can  do  all 
things  through  Christ  that  strength- 
eneth  me." 

This  is  the  solution  of  all  questions 
about  healing.  It  is  not  enough  to 
know  the  theory  and  doctrine :  we 
must  behold  the  life  and  receive  it 
from  Him.  Let  us  but  see  Jesus  as 
our  Eisen  Lord  and  our  Living  Head, 
and  ourselves  as  '*  members  of  His 
body.  His  flesh  and  His  bones,"  and 
our  physical  being  shall  be  baptized 
into  His  life  and  fullness,  and  go  forth 


98  THE   CHRIST   OP 

with  all-sufficient  springs  of  heavenly 
life.  This  is  the  answer  to  all  our 
difficulties  with  circumstances,  in  our 
work  for  Christ  and  our  earthly  trials. 
Let  us  but  see  the  Master's  hand  in  all, 
and  above  all  let  us  only  behold  the 
Captain  marching  upon  the  field,  and 
lo  !  our  fears  are  gone,  and  we  begin 
to  shout,  '^Thanks  be  unto  God  who 
giveth  us  the  victory  through  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Beloved,  this  Christ  is  standing  by 
your  side  to-day,  unrecognized  so  long. 
He  cries  to  you,  ^'  Behold  me  standing 
at  the  door  and  knocking !  If  any 
nian  will  hear  my  voice,  and  open  the 
door,  I  will  come  into  him  and  sup 
with  him  and  he  with  me."  Look 
away  to  Him  from  yourself,  from 


THE  FORTY  BAYS  99 

your  troubles,  from  your  doubts,  from 
your  theories  !  It  is  a  person  you 
need,  and  this  person  is  the  Christ  of 
the  Gospel,  the  Christ  of  the  Forty 
Days,  the  Christ  who  is  ^Hhe  same 
yesterday,  to-day  and  forever,"  and 
the  Christ  who  is  hovering  over  you 
now  and  waiting  to  possess  your  heart 
forever. 

5.  The  Christ  of  the  Forty  Days  is 
Divine, 

''My  Lord  and  my  God"  was  the 
testimony  of  the  man  who  had  doubt- 
ed, and  whose  doubts  were  in  one  mo- 
ment turned  into  a  testimony  which 
would  be  blasphemy  if  applied  to 
any  one  else  than  God.  This  expres- 
sion, Lord,  signifies  the  place  of  su- 
.  pi*eme  control  and  government  over 


100  THE   CHRIST  OF 

all  nature  and  providence ;  and  the 
other  word,  God,  is  expressive  of  the 
absoluteness  of  God  in  His  Divine  na- 
ture as  the  external  and  supreme  Cre- 
ator and  All-sufficient  and  Almighty- 
One.  Thomas  recognizes  the  glorious 
presence  before  him  as  no  less  than 
the  eternal  God,  the  God  of  the  Old 
Testament  in  all  the  majesty  of  His  re- 
vealing, the  God  of  nature  and  provi- 
dence in  all  the  glory  of  His  power  and 
dominion.  Oh,  it  is  much  for  us  to 
fully  realize  that  this  is  indeed  the 
name  and  character  of  our  Christ ! 
This  was  what  Peter  meant  that  day 
when  he  stood  before  the  proud  San- 
hedrim and  declared  that  '^  God  hath 
made  this  Jesus,  whom  ye  have  cruci- 
fied, both  Lord  and  Christ."  He  saw 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  101 

Him,  that  hour,  the  supreme  and  ma- 
jestic Lord  of  nature  and  of  men,  hold- 
ing in  His  hand  the  very  hves  of  the 
men  before  him,  and  having  all  power 
in  heaven  and  in  earth.  It  is  one 
thing  for  us  to  say  these  words  ;  it  is 
another,  in  our  inmost  being  to  real- 
ize, in  our  quickened  consciousness, 
we  are  talking  to  One  and  intimately 
linked  with  One  who  holds  in  His 
hand  this  moment  all  events  and  des 
tinies. 

It  is  He  of  whom  Isaiah  says,  ^^  All 
nations  before  Him  are  counted  as 
nothing ;  He  taketh  up  the  isles  as  a 
very  little  thing.  The  Creator  of  the 
ends  of  the  earth  f  ainteth  not,  neither 
is  weary;  there  is  no  searching  of  His 
understanding."    Oh,  beloved,  is  this 


102  THE   CHRIST  OF 

Christ  our  Christ?  Does  He  stand 
over  against  our  difficulties  and  above 
our  adversaries,  and  have  we  crowned 
Him  Lord  of  all  ?  The  secret  of  this 
for  us  means  that  He  has  become  our 
Lord  and  our  God. 

6.  This  Christ  expects  our  implicit 
faith. 

Two  kinds  of  faith  He  speaks  of 
here.  "  Thomas,  thou  hast  seen  and 
hast  believed."  This  He  does  not 
despise ;  but  accepts  it,  such  as  it  is, 
but  on  it  He  pronounces  no  high  ben- 
ediction. It  is  the  faith  that  has 
sprung  from  sight  and  reached  its 
conclusion  from  outward  evidence. 
But  there  is  another  aim, — a  higher 
faith.  Upon  this  He  pronounces  an 
everlasting  blessing  as  He  looks  into 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  103 

our  faces  in  these  coming  ages,  upon 
everyone  who  will  meet  this  bene- 
diction: ^^  Blessed  is  he  who  has  not 
seen  and  yet  has  believed."  He 
doubtless  means  that  it  would  have 
been  better  for  Thomas  to  have  be- 
lieved the  testimony  of  his  brethren, 
even  before  he  saw  his  Lord ;  then, 
indeed,  would  he  have  received  a 
blessing  which  perhaps  none  of  them 
had  received.  He  had  an  opportunity, 
given  perhaps  to  none  other,  of  be- 
lieving before  he  beheld  a  manifesta- 
tion of  Christ.  All  the  others 
seemed  to  have  beheld  him  for  them- 
selveb  before  they  believed.  Thomas 
might  have  believed  on  their  word, 
and  had  this  mighty  blessing,  but  he 
missed  it  and  it  passed  over  to  us  in 


104  THE   CHRIST  OF 

later  times.  Happy  they  that  have 
claimed  it !  Happy  we  if  we  shall 
always  claim  it,  and  venturing  out 
on  the  simple  word  of  our  God  shall 
always  dare  to  take  Him  by  simple 
faith  before  we  see  the  moving  of 
His  hand  or  the  evidences  of  His 
power,  aud  even  shout  with  the  He- 
brew prophet,  '^Though  the  fig-tree 
shall  not  blossom,  nor  fruit  be  on 
the  vine,  yet  will  I  rejoice  in  the 
Lord  and  glory  in  the  God  of  my 
salvation." 

Is  there  anyone  reading  these  words 
who  is  yet  unsaved?  Beloved,  the 
greatest  blessing  of  your  existence  is 
before  you  !  Will  you  take  Him  at 
His  word  and  dare  this  moment  to 
believe  that  as  you  go  to  Him  in  your 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  105 

unworthiness  and  helplessness,  He 
does  not  cast  you  out,  but  now  re- 
ceives you  and  saves  you  according 
to  His  word?  Blessed  art  thou  at 
this  very  moment !  Thou  hast  not 
seen,  but  thou  shalt  see,  the  glory 
and  the  grace  of  God.  Is  there  any 
one  reading  these  words,  who  has 
not  believed  His  mighty  promise  of 
deliverance  from  sin  and  perfect 
keeping  through  His  indwelling  pres- 
ence and  Holy  Spirit  ?  Beloved,  He 
bids  you  take  Him  this  moment  at 
His  mighty  word  if  you  but  yield 
yourself  and  claim  it.  '^  If  we  con- 
fess our  sins  He  is  faithful  and  just 
to  forgive  us  our  sins  and  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness."  ^'Now 
are  ye  clean  through  the  word  that  I 


106  THE   CHRIST   OF 

have  spoken  unto  you."  ^'  The  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  (God's  Son)  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin."  ^^Come  ye  out 
from  among  them  and  be  ye  separate 
and  I  will  receive  you.  For  I  will 
dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in  them,  and 
I  will  be  their  Father,  and  they  shall 
be  my  sons  and  my  daughters,  saith 
the  Lord  God  Almighty."  ^^I  will 
put  my  Spirit  within  you,  and  cause 
you  to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye 
shall  keep  my  judgments. "  Will  you 
believe  these  promises  just  now  with- 
out waiting  for  some  internal  evi- 
dences or  some  manifested  fruit  in 
your  life  ?  Will  you  dare  to  believe 
that  God  becomes  this  to  you  this 
very  hour,  and  until  your  life-work 
is  done  ?    Will  you  press  forward  and 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  lOT 

hold  fast  the  profession  of  your  faith 
without  wavering  ?  Blessed  art  thou  ! 
for  thou  hast  not  seen,  and  yet  hast 
believed,  and  already  He  is  about  to 
answer  your  trust  by  the  witnessing 
voice  of  His  Holy  Spirit  and  the  joy 
of  His  full  salvation. 

Is  there  anyone  reading  these  words 
who  has  longed  to  feel  the  power  of 
His  touch  in  your  body,  and  been 
waiting  for  some  external  sign  or 
manifestation  before  fully  resting 
and  abandoning  yourself  to  His 
power  ?  Beloved,  will  you  not  ven- 
ture to  trust  Him  who  ^^  Himself 
took  our  infirmities  and  carried  our 
sickness  ? "  Is  not  this  enough  ?  Will 
you  not  roll  them  on  Him  this  very 
hour?    ^'The  prayer  of  faith  shall 


108  THE   CHRIST  OF 

save  the  sick."  Will  you  not  spring 
to  meet  this  promise,  and  dare  to  be- 
lieve that  the  Lord  does  raise  you  up  ? 
^'When  ye  pray  believe  that  ye  re- 
ceive the  things  that  ye  ask."  Will 
you  so  receive  ?  Blessed  art  thou  al- 
ready, trusting  one  !  blessed  far  more 
in  the  trusting  than  the  answer  that 
is  coming,  surely  coming,  for  that  is 
not  the  blessing  ;  it  is  not  that  He  is 
going  to  give  you  the  thing  that  you 
trusted  for  but  it  is  that  He  can  trust 
you,  that  He  can  take  you  into  the 
place  of  His  confidential  ones,  and 
rejoice  in  you  as  one  that  can  trust 
your  God  without  reserve,  and  to 
whom  He  can  confide  the  banner  of 
His  conflict  and  His  testimony  before 
the  world. 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  109 

Is  there  anyone  reading  these  hnes 
who  has  long  been  wandering  why 
his  prayers  have  not  been  answered, 
and  waiting  for  some  evidence  in  the 
providence  of  God?  Beloved,  God 
has  delayed  the  evidence  to  give  you 
the  opportunity  for  your  greatest 
blessings,  but  wants  you  to  be  one  of 
the  heroes  of  faith  who  will  stand  in 
the  forlorn  hope  and  the  front  of 
the  battle,  following  at  your  Leader's 
command,  although  no  other  soldier 
may  stand  by  your  side  and  no  way 
may  seem  possible  through  those 
ranks  and  foes.  God  help  you  not 
to  miss  your  opportunity  and  your 
chaplet  of  victory  !  Press  out  to  meet 
your  Captain.  ' '  Said  not  I  unto  thee, ' ' 
He  cries,  'Hhat  if  thou  wouldest  be- 


110  THE   CHRIST   OF 

lieve  thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of 
God  ? "  Lift  up  this  very  moment  the 
hands  that  hang  down,  and  strength- 
en the  feeble  knees  !  '^  Believe  your 
God,  so  shall  ye  be  established ;  be- 
lieve His  word,  so  shall  ye  prosper." 
Send  forth  the  choirs  of  praise  into 
the  front  of  the  battle.  Claim  your 
answer  and  declare  your  victory,  and 
already  your  own  heart  will  feel  the 
march  of  the  Conqueror  and  His 
benediction  on  your  head.  ^'  Blessed 
is  he  that  hath  not  seen  and  yet  hath 
believed. ' '  This  power  to  believe  God, 
when  we  have  nothing  but  God  to 
believe,  is  itself  blessing.  It  is  said 
of  Abraham  that  he  was  like  Him 
whom  he  believed,  who  '^calleth  the 
things  that  are  not  as  though  they 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  111 

were."    Faith  is  a  kind  of  God-like- 
ness. 

Let  us  not  miss  our  opportunity 
and  God's  expectation  of  us !  Has 
He  not  a  right,  after  all  His  patience, 
after  His  love,  after  all  His  power, 
after  all  His  revealing  of  Himself  to 
us,  to  expect  our  perfect  trust,  and 
shall  He  not  have  it  henceforth  from 
all  our  hearts  in  all  our  ways  3 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  LORD'S  MESSAGE  TO  THE  UNBELIEV- 
ING CHURCH. 


"Afterward  He  appeared  unto  the  eleven 
as  they  sat  at  meat,  and  upbraided  them 
with  their  unbelief  and  hardness  of  heart, 
because  they  believed  not  them  which  had 
seen  Him  after  He  was  risen.  And  He  said 
unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  He 
that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved, 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 
Luke  xvi  :  14  16. 

fHIS  interview  was  probably  the  se- 
quel to  the  incident  in  connection 
with  the  restoration  of  Thomas.  It 
could  not  have  occurred  on  the  first 


THE  FORTY    DAYS  113 

Sabbath  of  the  Eesurrection,  because 
we  are  told  that  ^'He  appeared  unto 
the  eleven  as  they  sat  at  meat,"  and 
there  were  not  eleven  disciples  at  the 
first  interview.  Thomas  was  absent. 
At  the  same  time  it  was  an  early  in- 
terview after  the  resurrection ;  audit, 
undoubtedly,  seems  to  have  been  the 
one,  the  first  part  of  which  has  been 
already  described  in  connection  with 
Thomas.  The  sentence  with  which 
it  is  introduced  in  Mark,  respecting 
His  upbraiding  them  with  their  hard- 
ness of  heart  and  unbelief,  because 
they  believed  not  them  to  whom  He 
had  appeared  after  His  resurrection, 
seems  very  significantly  to  apply  to 
Thomas,  and  what  the  Lord  said  to 
him  at  that  time,     The  words  which 


114  THE   CHRIST  OF 

follow  in  Mark  are  probably  the  con- 
cluding messages  of  the  interview,  as, 
turning  from  Thomas  to  the  other  ten, 
He  gave  them  this  great  commission, 
and  the  credentials  of  His  power,  say- 
ing, ''Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature. 
He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall 
be  saved;  but  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned.  And  these  signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe  :  in  my 
name  shall  they  cast  out  devils  ;  they 
shall  speak  with  i_aw  tongues  ;  they 
shall  take  up  serpents ;  and  if  they 
drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not 
hurt  them  ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on 
the  sick  and  they  shall  recover." 

This  is  His  message  to  the  Church 
under  the  Christian  Dispensation.    It 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  115 

must  be  in  force  until  all  the  world  is 
evangelized,  and  it  must  be  taken  to 
gether  and  not  piecemeal;  and  so  long 
as  the  command  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature  is  in  force,  so  long, 
also  must  the  promises  of  Christ's  co- 
operating and  supernatural  power  be, 
also,  regarded  as  operative.  And  yet, 
the  attitude  of  the  Church  has  been 
one  of  chronic  unbelief  in  regard  to 
this  matter,  an  unbelief  in  the  prom- 
ises equalled  only  by  tardiness  in  obey- 
ing the  command.  As  she  springs, 
however,  to  meet  the  latter,  she  seems 
to  be  recovering  and  regaining  her 
faith  in  the  former;  and  it  is,  indeed, 
remarkable  that  the  revival  of  the 
missionary  spirit  in  our  day  is  marked 
by  the  restoration   of  the  supernat 


lit)  THE   CHRIST   OF 

ural  gifts  of  the  apostolic  age.  The 
unbehef  of  His  Church  in  these 
things  seems  to  be  almost  hinted  at  in 
the  way  the  passage  is  introduced.  It 
begins  with  the  account  of  His  up- 
braiding the  eleven  for  their  unbelief, 
and  their  spirit  would  seem  to  have 
been  typical  of  the  sin  which  was  so 
easily  to  beset  the  ages  which  were  to 
follow.  May  the  Lord  help  us  to  rise 
out  of  this  paralyzing  influence,  and 
fully  to  understand  and  enter  into  the 
meaning  and  the  power  of  these 
mighty  words,  which  He  has  left  to 
us  to  the  end  of  time,  as  His  Great 
Commission  ! 

1.  We  learn  from  this  incident  the 
nature  arid  conditions  of  the  GosjJel, 

The  word    '^Gospel,"    of    course, 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  117 

means  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation, 
through  the  finished  work  of  Jesus 
Christ,  to  all  the  world  and  all  the 
ages,  in  so  far  as  the  men  who  hear 
it  are  willing  to  meet  the  simple  con- 
ditions. It  is,  indeed,  ' '  glad  tidings. " 
It  tells  rebellious  men  that  God  is 
reconciled,  that  justice  is  satisfied, 
that  sin  has  been  atoned  for,  that  the 
judgment  of  the  guilty  may  be  re- 
voked, the  condemnation  of  the 
sinner  cancelled,  the  curse  of  the 
law  blotted  out,  the  gates  of  hell 
closed,  the  portals  of  heaven  opened 
wide,  the  power  of  sin  subdued,  the 
guilty  conscience  healed,  the  broken 
heart  comforted,  the  sorrow  and 
misery  of  the  Fall  undone,  the  very 
King  of  Terrors  himself  destroy ed. 


11»  THE   CHRIST   OF 

and  all  the  evils  and  miseries  of 
ruined  humanity  completely  over- 
come, and  transformed  into  blessings 
more  glorious  and  lasting  than  Adam 
ever  lost,  or  unfallen  man  could  ever 
have  enjoyed.  And  the  condition  of 
all  this  blessing  is  stated  in  the  sim- 
plest terms.  There  is  no  restriction 
in  the  terms,  for  the  message  is  ad- 
dressed to  every  creature,  and  the 
only  condition  is,  "  He  that  believeth 
and  is  baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he 
that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  the  rite 
of  baptism  is  not  a  condition  ;  its 
omission  will  not  bring  condemna- 
tion, though  its  acceptance  is  com- 
manded wherever  it  is  possible.  The 
one  essential  condition,  therefore,  is 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  119 

simply  believing  ;  tlmt  is,  believing 
the  ''glad  tidings." 

This  is  not  spoken  of  as  some  ab- 
struse and  unattainable  experience, 
but  the  simple,  frank  acceptance  of 
the  glad  tidings  as  true  and  as  our 
own.  It  is,  in  a  word,  to  believe  the 
facts  respecting  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
finished  work,  and  to  accept  and  ap- 
propriate the  salvation  for  ourselves, 
and  simply  believe  that  it  becomes 
our  own  by  virtue  of  our  accepting 
it.  The  logical  process  is  as  simple 
as  the  alphabet.  Christ  offers  salva- 
tion to  me;  1  heartily  accept  it;  there 
fore  I  have  it,  because  I  accept  it,  and 
because  God  has  promised  it  to  all 
who  will  accept  it.  There  is  no  mys- 
tery about  this, — no  strain.     It  is  as 


120  THE   CHRIST  OF 

plain  as  the  untutored  faith  of  the  Kt- 
tle  newsboy,  lying  on  a  heap  of  filthy 
straw,  who  had  caught  a  glimpse  of 
the  Gospel  in  a  street-meeting,  and 
sent  for  a  missionary,  in  his  dying 
moments,  to  ask  him  the  broken  ques- 
tion: ^ ^  Missionary,  is  it  true  as  how 
you  said  that  Jesus  Christ  would  save 
any  feller  who  ax'd  him  ? "  "  Yes," 
said  the  missionary,  ''it  is  true.  He 
says  so."  "  Then,"  said  the  little  fel- 
low, as  he  clasped  his  dying  hands 
and  looked  into  heaven  with  a  face 
already  shining  with  the  heavenly 
light,  ''He  saves  me,  'cos  I  axes 
Him." 

That  is  the  Gospel,  in  its  simplicity 
and  its  profundity — simply  believing 
the  glad  tidings,  and  taking  the  bene- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  121 

fit  to  ourselves  without  doubt  or  ques- 
tioning. This  is  the  answer  that  Paul 
had  that  night  for  the  rude  jailer  at 
Philippi,  ''  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  and  thou  shalt  be  saved."  This 
is  the  simple  message  which  the  rud- 
est, crudest  minds  of  heathendom  can 
always  understand,  and  which  they 
only  miss  whose  self-sufficiency  and 
earthly  wisdom  is  looking  for  some- 
thing higher  and  harder.  It  is  the 
Gospel  for  the  masses,  the  Gospel  for 
the  heathen,  the  Gospel  for  the  child, 
the  Gospel  for  the  whole  creation. 
Oh,  that  we  might  send  it  forth  that 
there  might  be  no  son  or  daughter  of 
Adam's  race  who  has  -not  heard  the 
glorious  tidings,  so  free  to  all  and  so 
easy  for  everyone  to  receive  1 


122  THE  CHRIST   OF 

He  adds,  ''and  is  baptized,"  nor 
can  we  divorce  this  from  believing, 
nor  should  we  divorce  the  believing 
from  the  baptism. - 

It  is  a  great  mistake  to  make  bap- 
tism a  gospel  or  a  theology  which  can 
in  any  measure  detract  from  the 
prominence  of  Christ  and  the  sim- 
plicity of  faith.  To  every  heart  that 
truly  accepts  the  Gospel,  it  is  a  sacred 
obligation  and  delightful  privilege  to 
make  full  acknowledgement  in  God's 
appointed  way,  of  our  Master  and 
Lord,  and,  like  Him,  thus  to  fulfill  all 
righteousness.  And  to  those  who 
have  learned  the  deeper  and  sweeter 
meaning  of  the  ordinance  itself  as 
the  special  symbol  of  death  and  res- 
urrection with  Christ,  it  is  a  joy  un- 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  12:3 

speakable  to  enter  with  Him  into  the 
death  of  self  and  sin  and  rise  into  the 
fullness  of  the  resurrection  life  ;  but 
when  we  have  said  this  we  have  said 
all.  Its  absence  did  not  debar  the 
dying  thief  from  the  courts  of  Para- 
dise, nor  will  it  bring  the  loss  of  sal- 
vation, under  this  precious  verse,  to 
any  believing  heart  ;  and  they  that 
make  it  a  means  of  regeneration,  a 
condition  of  salvation,  or  a  rigid  term 
of  Christian  fellowship,  go  further 
than  the  Lord  Jesus  intended  here,  or 
the  Apostle  Paul  for  a  moment  toler- 
ated, w^hen  he  said,  "  Christ  sent  me 
not  to  baptize  but  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel," and  baptism  is  not  the  Gospel, 
although  a  most  blessed  symbol  and 
seal  of  its  reality  and  fullness. 


124  THE   CHRIST   OF 

2.  Christ  has  made  His  people 
trustees  of  the  Gospel  for  the  tvorld. 

He  never  meant  that  we  should 
keep  it  as  a  selfish  luxury /but  should 
receive  it  and  pass  it  on  as  a  sacred 
trust  for  all  our  sinful  race.  He 
might  have  sent  it  to  the  world  by 
some  other  means.  There  is  not  an 
angel  in  heaven  but  would  have  been 
glad  to  bear  such  a  message,  and 
would  have  counted  it  high  honor 
and  Divine  joy,  but  Christ  has  given 
this  privilege  to  redeemed  men,  and 
in  a  grea.t  measure  has  limited  its 
diffusion  by  the  human  instrumen- 
talities which  spread  it.  How  dis- 
appointed and  grieved  His  heart  must 
be  to  see  this  precious  trust  withheld 
from  those  for  whom  He  designed  it, 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  125 

and  consumed  for  the  selfish  advan- 
tage of  a  few  !  How  would  a  great 
benefactor  feel  if  he  gave  a  million  dol- 
lars to  relieve  the  poor  of  our  city,  and 
placed  it  in  the  hands  of  certain 
trustees,  and  then  found  that  those 
men  were  spending  it  for  the  support 
and  enjoyment  of  themselves  and 
their  families  and  friends,  and  that  the 
hundreds  of  poor  children  for  whom 
it  was  intended  were  getting  no  bene- 
fit from  his  generous  gift  ? 

Such  has  been,  literally,  the  attitude 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  for  most  of 
the  centuries  of  the  Christian  age. 
It  seems  appalling  when  we  stop  to 
realize  it !  But  here  He  does  not 
allow  the  responsibility  to  be  easily 
shifted  off  upon  the  abstract  idea  of 


126  THE   CHRIST   OF 

the  church,  for  it  is  a  personal  re- 
sponsibiHty  with  each  of  the  eleven, 
and  it  has  been  transferred  from 
them  to  every  other  disciple  person- 
ally, until  the  ages  shall  end.  His 
word  was  a  distinct  and  individual 
message,  which  necessaiily  implix^d 
their  individual  action,  for  it  was  the 
command  that  scattered  them,  one 
by  one,  into  all  the  world,  and  sent 
them  forth  unto  every  creature  ;  and 
the  same  command  rests  still  upon 
every  follower  of  Jesus,  up  to  the 
utmost  measure  of  his  ability  to  ful- 
fill it. 

In  this  view  of  it,  it  is  a  very 
simple  and  a  very  awful  responsi- 
bility, and  looking  in  the  face  of 
every  one  of  us,  the  Master  simply 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  127 

asks^  *^  Are  you  going  to  do  what  I 
tell  you,  or  not  ? "  There  is  no  possi- 
bility of  evasion.  He  simply  says, 
"  Go  ye,"  and  we  must  go  or  dis- 
obey. We  believe,  therefore,  that 
every  individual  Christian  is  bound 
to  his  very  utmost  to  spread  the 
Gospel,  and  to  go  personaljy  if  he  or 
she  can,  without  absolutely  neglect- 
ing obligations  at  home  which  are 
imperative,  and  which  we  can  take 
as  an  excuse  to  the  bar  of  God. 

3.  The  extent  of  this  commission  is 
to  the  whole  world  and  the  whole 
creation, 

•All  national  restrictions  are  over- 
swept  by  the  broad  and  universal 
scope  of  redeeming  mercy.  Every 
race  and  country  is  included  in  the 


128  THE   CHRIST  OF 

heart  of  God  and  the  blood  of  Cal- 
vary; and,  not  only  so,  but  every 
creature.  This  includes  far  more 
than  every  man  and  woman.  The 
word  translated  ^ ^creatine,"  means 
creation,  and  it  certainly  includes  the 
material  and  lower  orders  of  crea- 
tion. ''V^hat!"you  may  ask,  ^^are 
we  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  beast 
of  the  field,  to  the  forests,  to  the 
wilderness  and  to  the  mountains  ?  " 
Yes,  there  is  not  et  thing  on  earth, 
animate  or  inanimate,  but  is  go- 
ing to  be  benefited  by  the  spread- 
ing of  the  Gospel  and  the  coming  of 
the  kingdom  of  Christ.  That  *is 
what  He  means.  The  whole  material 
universe  is  to  be  made  free  through 
its    uplifting    power.     How    it    has 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  129 

civilized  the  nations  !*  How  it  has 
explored  Africa  and  colonized  and 
cultivated  its  desolate  places  !  How 
it  is  to  drive  away  barbarism, cruelty, 
malaria,  disease,  barrenness,  and  at 
last,  death  itself,  from  the  whole 
creation  which  '^  groan  cth  and  trav- 
aileth  in  pain  together  until  now, 
waiting  for  the  time  when  the  crea 
tion  itself  shall  be  delivered  from  the 
bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glori- 
ous liberty  of  the  children  of  God  !  " 
Nowhere  in  the  New  Testament 
are  wo  told  that  the  whole  world 
will  accept  the  Gospel,  but  we  are 
always  told  that  the  whole  world  will 
receive  it,  and  Christ's  purpose  will 
never  be  fulfilled  until  all  the  tribes 
shall  be  evangelized  and  shall  have 


130  THE   CHRIST  OF 

had  the  opportunity  of  accepting  or 
rejecting  the  great  salvation.  As 
yet,  a  thousand  miUions  of  our  race 
have  not  had  the  opportunity.  One 
hundred  thousand  every  day  are  pass- 
ing into  eternity,  for  the  first  time  to 
know  their  Saviour  and  their  God, 
and  cry,  as  they  meet  Him,  '^No 
man  cared  for  my  soul."  With  every 
vrord  of  this  sentence,  as  you  read  it, 
a  sad  and  sinful  human  spirit  is  pass- 
ing into  the  presence  of  the  Saviour, 
who  is  now  looking  down  upon  you, 
and  finding  to  its  amazement  that 
He  died  for  its  salvation,  and  that 
you  knew  that  salvation,  and  might 
have  helped  that  poor  sad  spirit  to 
know  it,  too.  What  must  Christ 
think  of  you,  as  He  turns,  this  mo- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  ISI 

ment,  from  that  poor,  shrinking,  as- 
tonished soul  to  listen  to  your  prayers, 
and  then  the  next  moment  beholds 
another  come  with  the  same  sad 
cry  ?  One  would  think  that  He  must 
almost  lose  heart  in  the  prayers  of 
His  people  and  in  the  tender  minis- 
tries of  His  love  to  us,  when  He 
knows  that  our  brethren  are  perish- 
ing through  our  indolence  and  neg-  - 
lect. 

It  is  useless  for  us  to  lay  the  matter 
over  upon  His  omnipotence  and  say 
that  He  has  power  to  save  them  in 
some  other  way.  Then,  surely.  He 
went  to  needless  expense  in  preparing 
the  costly  machinery  of  the  Cross 
and  the  Gospel,  if  there  had  been 
some  other  way   of    attaining    the 


1B2  THE   CHRIST   OF 

same  results.  It  is  very  certain  that 
G-od  would  never  have  sent  His  Son 
to  die  if  salvation  could  have  been 
obtained  in  any  other  way.  Doubt- 
less, all  that  tenderness  and  mercy 
can  do  to  alleviate  and  to  modify  the 
unspeakable  loss  and  misery  of  ruined 
men,  will  be  done,  for  '^he  that 
knew  not  and  committed  things 
worthy  of  stripes  shall  be  beaten  with 
few  stripes,"  but  to  be  beaten  with 
few  stripes  is  far  less  than  to  be  re- 
deemed, cleansed  and  made  meet  to 
be  partakers  of  the  nature  of  God 
and  the  glory  of  heaven.  To  stand 
outside  those  gates  is  hell  enough  to 
one  who  has  looked  within,  and  we 
know  that  without  a  new  heart  and 
the  blood  of  Jesus, no  son  of  the  human 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  133 

race  can  ever  enter  heaven  and  share 
the  prospects  of  God's  redeemed. 
Whatever  else  awaits  these  myriads, 
it  is  not  our  salvation.  Alas  !  al^s  ! 
we  know  too  well  that  most  of  them 
have  sinned  against  the  light  of  Na- 
ture, and  have  passed  out  of  this 
mortal  life  with  the  consciousness 
already  of  unpardoned  sin  and  the 
fearful  looking  for  of  judgment. 

Oh,  beloved,  let  us  awake  from  all 
our  dreams  ;  and,  for  the  sake  of  hu- 
man pity  and  heavenly  love,  let  us 
do  what  can  be  done  to  meet  the 
simple,  solemn,  honest,  imperative, 
irresistible  command  of  Him  who 
would  not  have  spoken  it  if  weaker 
speech  could  have  sufficed. 

The  practicabihty  of  obeying  this 


134  THE   CHRIST  OP 

command  miakes  the  duty  miore  bind- 
ing. Dr.  Hudson  Taylor  has  shown 
that,  in  five  years,  every  human  be- 
ing in  China  can  be  evangehzed  by 
sending  merely  one  thousand  mis- 
sionaries to  that  country  ;  and  if  this 
be  so,  two  thousand  more  would 
reach  all  other  races  beneath  the  sun 
who  have  not  yet  heard  the  Gospel. 
To  do  this,  and  support  them  for  one 
year,  would  cost  only  three  million 
dollars,  and  this  would  be  less  than 
the  fortune  of  many  a  single  Chris- 
tian in  this  country.  And  to  do  it  for 
five  years  would  take  only  six  mil- 
lions more  ;  that  is,  nine  millions  al- 
together in  the  next  five  years,  or 
less  than  tw^o  milhons  a  year.-^  A 
smaller  sum  than  the  pettiest  State 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  135 

in  Europe  could  easily  spend  in  some 
trivial  war,  would  be  enough  to  ac- 
complish  the  most  majestic  campaign 
that  the  universe  has  ever  witnessed. 

May  God  help  us  each  to  under- 
stand the  thought  of  our  Captain, 
our  Ascended  Christ,  and  to  meet  it 
before  this  century  shall  close,  faith- 
fully and  gloriously  ! 

4.  The  commission  is  accompanied 
with  majestic  credentials— credentials 
worthy  of  so  great  a  calling. 

Sending  forth  His  ambassadors, 
this  Mighty,  Anointed  King,  gives  to 
each  His  signet  ring  and  declares 
that  the  signals  of  His  power  will 
attend  their  ministry,  if  they  will 
but  fulfill  the  simple  condition  of 
that  power.     ''  These  signs  shall  fol- 


136  THE   CHRIST   OF 

low  them  that  beheve.  In  my  name 
they  shall  oast  out  demons  ;  they 
shall  speak  with  new  tongues  ;  they 
shall  take  up  serpents  ;  and  if  they 
drink  any  deadly  thing  it  shall  not 
hurt  them  ;  they  shall  lay  hands  on 
the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover," 
We  have  here,  first,  the  source  of 
this  supernatural  power:  ^'In  my 
Name."  They  were  to  recognize 
themselves  as  representing  Christ; 
they  were  to  stand  as  men,  with  a 
Person  behind  them  who  was  unseen 
to  the  woiid,  except  through  His 
supernatural  operation  through  their 
words.  They  were  to  be  His  repre-  ^ 
sentatives;  He  was  to  be  their  power. 
They  were  to  be  hands  upon  the 
dial,  and  He  the  force  behind.   They 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  137 

were  so  to  recognize  themselves,  they 
were  so  to  introduce  themselves  to 
the  v^orld,  they  were  ever  to  put 
Christ  in  front  and  stand  behind 
Him,  and  then  expect  to  see  Him 
work.  ''In  my  Name"  was  the 
watchword  of  all  this  power. 

How  different  this  has  been  !  The 
Church  has  got  a  name, and  frequent- 
ly it  is  not  the  name  of  Christ  at  all, 
but  of  some  human  founder  or  of 
some  doctrinal  phase.  It  goes  to 
meet  the  world  and  the  devil  in  the 
name  of  a  Wesley  or  an  Episcopate 
or  a  Presbytery,  or  a  doctrine  of 
Baptism  or  a  method  of  Methodism. 
True^  these  are  Christ^s  churches, 
but  the  very  principle  on  which 
r,heir  distinctiveness  is  founded  ob- 


I'dH  THE   CHRIST  OP 

scures  His  name.  The  minister  has 
frequently  a  name  so  great  that  it 
quite  obscures  the  name  of  his  Lord 
and  renders  it  quite  unnecessary. 
He  is  known  for  his  learning,  for 
his  eloquence,  or  his  influence,  more 
than  for  the  supernatural  power  that 
f ollow;s  close  behind  him  iind  accom- 
plishes his  ministry.  Such  workers" 
cannot  expect  these  signs  to  follow 
in  His  name.  We  must  recognize 
ourselves  as  but  figure  heads,  and  all 
the  power  in  the  unseen  presence 
that  follows  behind  us  and  presses 
us  forward  as  the  expression  of  its 
working. 

Again,  the  forms  in  which  this 
power  was  to  be  manifested  are 
specifically   expressed.     The  casting 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  139 

out  of  demons  was  to  be  one.  This 
was,  doubtless,  meant  to  be  the  very 
same  ministry  which  Chri:*it  had  ex- 
ercised for  the  dehverance  of  those 
possessed  of  evil  spirits,  a  form  of 
affliction  which  has  existed  in  all 
ages  and  countries,  and  which  still, 
undoubtedly,  is  the  cause  to  which 
may  be  traced  a  great  multitude  of 
morbid  mental  conditions  and  forms 
of  insanity.  In  the  ministry  of  the 
Apostles  this  power  was  frequently 
exercised,  and  became  a  testimony  of 
great  weight  before  the  heathen 
world.  It  was  the  most  impressive 
form  of  Paul's  work,  both  in  Philippi 
and  in  Ephesus.  It  has  been  mar- 
velously  revived  in  these  last  days, 
and  has  been  peculiarly  prominent  in 


140  ♦the   CHRIST   OF 

the  work  of  the  Mission  Field,  es- 
pecially in  China ;  although,  of 
course,  all  that  we  have  seen  of  the 
manifestation  of  Christ's  power  has 
been  but  fragmentary,  compared 
with  what  we  might  expect  if  the 
whole  body  of  His  Church  were 
united  in  faith  and  fellowship  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  gift 
of  tongues  was  also  promised  and 
marvelously  realized  in  the  Apostolic 
Church,  although  this  form  of  spir- 
itual and  supernatural  influence  was 
more  abused  than  any  other,  and  less 
practical  in  its  effectiveness,  and 
seems  to  have  been  in  a  large  meas- 
ure withdrav/n  at  an  early  period. 
The  taking  up  of  serpents,  and  the 
drinking  of  any  deadly  thing,  seems 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  141 

to  refer  to  the  power  to  resist  the 
element  of  poison  where  it  comes 
from  living  or  inorganic  sources;  and 
this  has  often  been  fulfilled  in  the 
protection  of  God's  servants  from 
wild  beasts  and  reptiles,  the  counter- 
acting of  otherwise  fatal  stings  from 
venomous  creatures,  and  especially 
the  influence  of  mahgnant  contagious 
diseases  and  unwholesome  air  and 
climatic  surroundings. 

The  most  prominent  of  these  forms 
of  supernatural  power,  because  that 
which  seems  to  have  the  most  prac- 
tical application^  and  to  be  peculiarly 
manifest  in  the  facts  which  are  oc- 
curring in  the  church  to-day,  is  the 
healing  of  the  sick  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.     There  is  no  doubt  that  this 


142  THE   CHRIST  OF 

was  regarded  by  the  Lord  as  super- 
natural healing,  and  the  laying  on  of 
hands  designed  as  a  symbolical  act 
expressing  His  touch  of  power.  The 
fact  that  this  was  promised  is  estab- 
lished by  many  other  passages,  and 
the  evidence  of  its  fulfillment  is  found 
in  the  whole  Apostolic  history,  the 
allusions  in  the  Epistles,  the  story  of 
the  first  four  centuries  of  Church 
History,  and  the  records  of  the  past 
two  hundred  years  in  Protestant 
Christendom,  especially  in  the  last 
twenty-five.  Such  healings  are  not 
always  miraculous,  although  the  de- 
sign of  those  referred  to  here  is  of 
this  character. 

There  seems  to  be  a  double  pro- 
vision for  healing  :  one  distinctly  mi- 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  143 

raculous,  and  the  other  the  more  or- 
dinary working  of  the  Divine  life  and 
power  in  the  beheving  disciple.  All 
these  manifestations  mentioned  in 
Mark  are  called  ''signs,"  and  intended 
to  be  emphatic  evidences  to  the  world 
of  the  presence  and  power  of  Christ 
and  the  reality  of  His  name.  They 
are  referred  to,  later,  in  the  closing 
words  of  the  Gospel,  ''the  Lord  work- 
ing with  them  and  confirming  the 
word  with  signs  following." 

Dean  Alf ord,  in  commenting  on 
this  passage,  declares  that  the  prom- 
ise of  supernatural  power  was  not  in 
tended  to  be  limited  to  the  first  age  of 
the  Church  ;  but  should  the  occasion 
at  any  future  time  arise  for  the  need 
of  such  manifestations,  they  may  be 


i  1:4  THE   CHRIST   OF 

reasonably  expected  in  accordance 
with,  this  promise.  The  good  Dean 
neutralizes  his  valuable  admission  by 
saying,  ^''  Where  the  Gospel  has  been 
preached^  as  it  has  been  in  Christian 
countries,  they  are  not  needed  now  to 
establish  the  evidences  of  Christian- 
ity ;  and  in  heathen  countries,  where 
the  power  of  Christian  nations  ex- 
tends, they  are  not  needed  because  of 
these  nations.'^ 

This  is  certainly  a  very  weak  ad- 
mission. In  the  most  advanced  Chris- 
tian nations  there  is  a  deep  need  to-day 
for  a  real  faith  in  something  supernat- 
ural, especially  in  a  religion  which  in- 
volves supernatural  elements.  Faith 
is  becoming  a  sort  of  reasoning,  and 
Christian  life  a  baptized  morality  and 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  145 

benevolent  activity,  but  the  expecta- 
tion of  anything  actually  supernatu- 
ral, either  in  the  hearts  or  bodies  of 
men,is  tabooed  as  fanaticism.  There- 
fore Christ  has  spoken  out  in  the  heart 
of  Christian  nations  by  the  exhibi- 
tions of  His  miraculous  power,  even 
in  these  last  days.  And  as  for  the  in- 
fluence of  Christian  nations  in 
heathen  countries,  the  very  name  of 
Christian  in  China  and  Japan  has 
usually  been  associated  with  the  peo- 
ple who  introduce  licentiousness  and 
rum,  and  whose  moraUty  is  lower 
than  heathenism.  There  is,  indeed,  a 
mighty  need  for  the  old  credentials  of 
the  Gospel;  and  if  Christ  can  find  the 
faith  He  is  seeking  for,  He  is  as  ready 
as  ever  to  manifest  His  power. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  THIRD  WEEK. 


THE  SCENE  ON  THE  SHORES   OF 
TIBERIAS. 


** This  is  now  the  third  time  that  Jesus 
showed  Himself  to  His  disciples,  after  that 
Hf  had  risen  from  the  dead." — .Tohnxxi:  t4. 

fHIS  passage  makes  it  certain  that 
the  incident  recorded  in  this 
chapter  follows  the  scenes  from  which 
we  have  just  turned  in  the  previous 
chapters.  It  was  probably  the  third 
week  after  the  Resurrection.  During 
the  previous  week,  the  disciples  had 
gone  up  to  Gralilee,  according  to  His 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  14? 

previous  command  and  appointment, 
having  only  waited  in  Jerusalem  the 
one  week  after  His  Resurrection  in 
order  that  Thomas  might  be  restored 
from  his  unbelief.  They  had  doubt- 
less returned  to  their  former  home, 
and  expected  soon  to  meet  their  Lord 
according  to  His  appointment.  But 
He  did  not  come,  it  would  seem,  and 
as  the  days  passed  by  and  their 
means  of  livelihood  may  have  failed 
them,  for  the^e  were  poor  men,  their 
faith  and  hope  began  to  fade  and 
their  prospects  to  grow  dark  and  dis- 
couraging. Then  it  was  that  the 
impetuous  Simon  proposed  to  several 
of  their  number  to  return  to  his  for- 
mer calling,  at  least  for  a  time,  and 
getting  into  his  little  fishing  boat. 


148  THE   CHRIST  OF 

with  six  of  his  brethren,  he  cast  the 
net  into  the  sea  and  waited  for  the 
reward  of  his  toil.  All  night  long 
they  stayed  at  their  posts  and  per- 
haps battled  with  the  waves  of  the 
stormy  little  sea,  till  their  hearts 
grew  weary  and  faint  as  they  found 
that  their  labor  was  in  vain.  And 
as  the  cold  gray  dawn  slowly  crept 
over  the  earth  their  nets  were  empty 
still.  Then  it  was  that  a  human  form 
was  dimly  seen  upon  the  shore  and  a 
voice  spoke  to  them  in  ordinary  tones, 
^^Sirs,  have  ye  any  meat  ? "  and  they 
answered  ''No."  ''Cast  the  net  on 
the  right  side  of  the  ship,"  was  the 
somewhat  startling  but  quiet  re- 
sponse, "and  ye  shall  find."  Perhaps 
without  fully  realizing  the  right  of 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  140 

the  speaker  to  give  such  a  command, 
they  immediately  obeyed  ;  and  no 
sooner  had  they  done  so,  than  their 
nets  were  filled  with  fishes.  The 
quick  heart  of  John  at  once  recog- 
nized the  Lord.  As  soon  as  Peter 
heard  that  it  was  Christ,  he  swam  to 
the  shore  and  drew  the  net  to  land 
filled  with  great  fishes,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  and  three.  Then  the  Lord 
tenderly  prepared  the  morning  meal, 
of  which  they  were  in  such  sore 
need,  and  bade  them  bring  the  fish 
which  they  had  caught,  and  partake 
of  the  food  which  He  had  already 
prepared  for  them.  As  soon  as  their 
hunger  was  satisfied  He  turned  to 
Simon  Peter  and  repeated  the  three- 
fold question,   '^Lovest  thou  me?" 


150  THE   CHRIST  OF 

with  such  dehcate  allusion  to  Si- 
mon's fall,  and  such  tender  forgiving 
and  restoring  graciousness  that  it 
seemed  less  like  a  reproof  than  a  re- 
newal of  His  commission  and  a  call 
to  higher  service  than  he  had  ever 
dreamed  of  before.  With  one  added 
reproof  in  answer  to  Peter's  im- 
petuous and  almost  presuming  ques- 
tion, and  one  gentle  hint  with  regard 
to  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  the 
scene  closes  and  the  Master  vanishes 
from  their  presence  and  our  view, 
leaving  this  wondrous  incident  and 
its  heart  searching  lessons  imprinted 
upon  our  hearts  forever. 

1.  It  teaches  us  that  the  Christ  of 
the  Forty  Days  comes  to  deh'ver  as 
when  baffled  and  perplexed  and  to  re- 


THE.  FORTY  DAYS  151 

veal  Himself  as  our  Wonderful  Coun- 
sellor and  our  Mighty  God, 

Perhaps,  like  them,  we  have  gone 
back  a  httle  to  our  own  way  and  our 
old  life  ;  and  the  business  has  not 
prospered,  the  enterprise  has  not  been 
successful,  the  painful  struggle  has 
been  followed  only  by  disappoint- 
ment and  the  most  trying  extremi- 
ties, and  even  disasters.  God  may 
let  the  sinful  world  succeed  in  their 
forbidden  schemes,  but,  blessed  be 
His  Name,  He  does  not  allow  His 
chosen  ones  to  prosper  in  the  path 
which  leads  theai  out  of  His  holy 
will.  He  has  a  storm  to  send  after 
every  Jonah  and  an  empty  net  for 
every  unbelieving  and  inconstant 
Simon. 


152  THE   CHRIST  OF 

But  in  their  failure  He  does  not 
fail.  When  they  reach  ^Hheir  wits' 
end/'  and  are  ready  to  ^^reel  and 
stagger  like  a  drunken  man,"  then 
'Hhey  cry  unto  the  Lord  and  He 
heareth  them  and  delivereth  them 
out  of  their  distresses."  How  cheer- 
ing it  is  to  hear  Paul  telling  the  dis- 
couraged crew  that  their  troubles  are 
all  come  upon  them  because  they 
would  not  hear  his  counsel,  but  then 
adding  the  promise  of  the  mercy  and 
deliverance  of  God.  Is  there  any  one 
reading  these  lines  who  has  been 
passing  through  such  a  night  of 
baffled  struggles  ?  Stop  and  'think, 
dear  friend,  if,  perhaps,  you  have  not 
got  out  of  the  will  of  your  Father. 
Can  you  not  recall  some  command 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  153 

which  has  summoned  you  to  His  work 
in  some  other  pathway  of  obedience, 
and  you  followed  your  own  inclina- 
tion and  wisdom,  and  have  been  al- 
lowed to  fail  to  bring  you  back  like 
a  lost  sheep  to  His  way.  Only  ac- 
knowledge your  error  and  be  willing 
to  return,  and  lo!  already  He  is  stand- 
ing at  the  shore  to  bring  you  out  of 
your  extremity,  and  place  your  feet 
upon  the  rock  and  establish  your 
goings.  Listen  to  the  call  of  His 
providence  and  answerback,  '^Iwill 
hear  what  God  the  Lord  will  speak, 
for  He  will  speak  peace  unto  His 
people  and  to  His  saints,  but  let 
them  not  turn  again  to  folly.'' 

Sometimes,  however,  without  any 
conscious  disobedience  or  willful  de- 


154  THE   CHRIST    OF 

parting  from  His  paths,  we  all  have 
such  nights  of  strugghng  and  dis- 
appointment. Everything  seems  to 
fail  us.  We  acted  with  our  best 
judgment  and  yet  it  came  to  naught. 
We  patiently  waited,  but  there  was 
no  change  for  the  better;  and  the 
heart  at  last  grows  sick  with  sus- 
pense and  stagnation  and  God  seems 
to  have  forgotten  to  be  gracious. 
Perhaps,  we  are  in  extreme  circum- 
stances, out  of  employment,  it  may 
be;  without  means,  pressed  on  every 
side  by  difficulties  and  embarass- 
ments,  and  seeing  no  way  of  escape, 
so  that  we  can  truly  say,  "  Oh  Lord, 
we  have  no  might  against  this  com- 
pany, neither  know  we  what  to  do, 
but  our  eyes  are  on  thee." 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  155 

God  allows  His  children  to  come 
into  these  straits  oftentimes  that  He 
may  work  for  them  His  greatest  de- 
liverances. And  often  He  lets  the 
trial  linger  to  the  very  last  degree  of 
pressure  and  extremity.  But  He  has 
not  forgotten.  All  the  night  He  has 
been  watching  and  walking  on  that 
wave-beaten  shore.  Every  sigh  that 
the  wind  has  borne  across  the  sea  has 
troubled  His  heart.  Every  pang  of 
perplexity  and  suffering  has  found  a 
sympathetic  chord  in  His  breast.  He 
is  only  waiting  until  the  night  has 
run  its  course  and  the  lesson  has  been 
fully  learned,  and  the  deliverance  is 
ripe.  Even  now,  perplexed  one,  He  is 
standing  on  the  shore  of  thy  troubled 
sea.     His  form  may  be  a  very  simple 


156  THE   CHRIST   OP 

one,  and  you  may  not  recognize  your 
Lord  in  the  ordinary-looking  man  be- 
fore you  or  the  common-place  circum- 
stances coming  to  you,  but  "  It  is  the 
Lord  ! "  He  has  come  to  show  thee 
what  to  do  and  to  say.  "  Cast  thy  net 
upon  the  right  sideband  thou  shalt 
fmd."  ''He  is  the  Wonderful  Coun- 
sellor." He  knows  all  the  lines  of  in- 
fluence, all  the  causes  and  effects  in 
the  realm  of  providence,  and  just 
where  to  bid  you  step  and  how  to 
have  you  act  so  as  to  bring  the  result 
you  require.  ''  There  is  no  searching 
of  His  understanding."  ''Counsel  is 
His  and  sound  judgment.  He  leads 
in  right  paths,  and  causes  them  that 
love  Him  to  inherit  substance  and  will 
fill  their  ti'easures."    Happy  the  busi- 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  157 

ness  man  who  follows  His  wise  coun- 
sels !  Happy  the  young  man  who 
makes  Him  the  guide  of  his  youth  ! 
Happy  the  soul  who  trusts  Him  with 
all  the  heart  and  leans  not  to  his  own 
understanding  !  Let  us  trust  His  wis- 
dom, and  wait  His  bidding,  and  follow 
His  direction,  no  matter  how  all  our 
experience  may  have  contradicted  it, 
and  we  shall  find  that  it  will  bring  us 
to  the  desired  end. 

But  He  is  also  the  mighty  God, 
Not  only  does  He  know  on  which  side 
of  the  ship  to  cast  the  net,  but  He  can 
command  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  and 
fill  tliat  net  with  shoals  in  a  moment. 
Every  creature  in  the  earth  and  sea 
are  subject  to  His  bidding,  and  every 
human  heart  is  in  His  hand.     He  can 


158  THE   CHRIST   OP 

change  the  counsels  of  men  at  His 
pleasure.  He  gave  jL^aniel  favor  with 
the  king  of  Babylon  and  Joseph  honor 
in  Pharaoh's  house.  He  can  make 
men  to  be  at  peace  with  us  and  become 
the  instruments  of  His  will  concern- 
ing us.  He  can  send  a  little  spider  to 
weave  its  web  over  the  mouth  of  the 
cave  where  the  old  Covenanter  is  hid- 
den from  his  pursuers,  and  lead  them 
to  reason,  when  they  come  on  his 
track,  ''He  has  not  entered  there  be- 
cause that  spider's  web  is  unbroken 
and  undisturbed. "  He  can  send  a  hen 
to  lay  a  single  egg  every  morning 
where  Alexander  Peden  is  hiding,  and 
furnish  the  saint  with  his  breakfast 
without  a  suspicion  from  his  foes. 
He  can  bid  the  ravens  feed  Elijah,  and 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  159 

the  bees  wait  on  John  the  Baptist,  and 
the  quails  come  to  the  table  of  Israel's 
hosts,  and  the  scorpion  refuse  to  sting 
or  harm  the  faithful  missionary.  He 
can  prosper  the  honorable  and  conse- 
crated merchant,  and  regulate  the 
markets  of  the  world,  and  consecrate 
the  gain  of  men  to  Himself  at  His 
own  mighty  will 

"lie  everywhere  hath  sway, 
And  all  things  serve  His  might." 

"Leave  to  His  Sovereign  will 
To  choose  and  to  command : 
With  wonder  filled  thou  then  shalt  see 
How  wise,  how  strong  His  hand." 

2  Our  temporal  deliverances  are 
intended  to  lead  us  to  higher  spiritual 
blessing  and  service. 

This  wonderful  miracle  was  an  oc- 


160  THE   CHRIST    OF 

casion  for  something  far  more  than 
the  mere  help  it  brought  them  in  a 
time  of  perplexity  and  distress.  It 
was  a  type,  in  f^ct,of  the  new  life  and 
work  into  which  He  was  just  leading 
them.  It  was  the  second  draught  of 
fishes  which  He  had  miraculously 
given  them.  The  first,  three  years 
before,  had  called  them  to  the  first 
stage  of  their  apostolic  ministry,  but 
this  had  been  a  comparative  failure, — - 
something  like  the  first  draught  of 
fishes,  for  then,  it  will  be  remembered, 
their  nets  brake  and  the  miracle  ended 
in  confusion.  And  so  ended  the  first 
three  years  of  their  service,  in  the 
wretched  failure  of  the  crucifijcion 
days  well  nigh  the  entire  abando  u  ment 
of  their  new  hopes  and  confidences. 


THE  FOKT^   DAYS,  161 

But  this  draught  of  fishesj  was,  en-. 
tirely  dilf erent  from  the  fiyst.  These, 
were  all  great  fishes  and  they  were  all 
brought  safe  to  land.  Such  was,  to  be. 
their  future  ministry  as,  fishers,  of' 
men,  The  souls  they  y^ere  tQ  bring^^ 
to  Christ  were  to  be  such  souls/ and 
their  fruit  was  to  remain  and  tq  grow 
an  ,  hundred-fold  until  it  filled  the, 
world  and  the  heaven  above..  Hence-, 
forth  they  were  to/fish,  'vy^ith  the  Mas,-, 
ter  on  the  shore,  and  casting  their  net, 
always  on  the  right  side  of  the  ship, 
at  His  constant  bidding,  His  wisdom^ 
and  power  vy^ere,  to,  attend  their  labors, 
and  make  the  miracle  of  that  Qalilean 
shore  perpetual  in  the  years  and_  ceii% 
turies  that  were  to  follow. 


162  THE   OHKlbl^   OF 

And  so.  when  He  comes  to  us  in  His 
mighty  piQvidences,  dehyering  us  out 
gf  our  distresses  and  maiiifesting  His 
infinite  wisdom  and  power,  it  means 
much  mo4§  than  the  temporal  dehv- 
§ranee,  grod  intends  it  as  a  type  of 
©UP  future  and  a  pledge  of  His  wisdom 
and  power  for  all  our  coming  needs, 
and  He  is  almost  always  calling  us  to 
learn  sonie  deeper  spiritual  lesson,  to 
reach  out  tq  some  higher  experience, 
and  to  go  forth  to  some  larger  service 
for  Him.  Back  of  our  temporal  trials 
and  providential  blessings  there  al- 
ways niay  be  traced  a  spiritual  mean^ 
ing,  and  Qut  of  them  oft  come  our 
l".ichest  blessings.  God  loves  to  take 
the  most  Qpmmonplace  thing  and 
transforni  it  by  giving  it  a  heavenly 


THE  FOKTY  DAYS  163. 

meaning.  So  He  took  Jacob*s  trial 
that  night  at  Peniel  and  turiied  it  in- 
to the  crisis  of  his  life^  sending  him 
forth  that  morning  with  th^  nQW 
name  of  Israel,  to  b^  the  head  of  the 
future  tribes  that  bear  that  name. 
So  Saul,  when  searching  for  his,  lost 
abscs,  found  not  only  the^  asses  but  a 
kingdom,  too,  and  vyeiit  home  from 
the  prophet's  house  aiiQther  man  and 
to  enter  a  higher  sphere  and  service.. 
So  David's  rescue  of  hi§  lambs,  from 
the  lion  and  the  bear  becaniQ  the: 
token  and  pledge  of  hi^  being  en-- 
trusted  as  the  Shepherd  of  Gfod's, 
flock  and  the  Captain  of  God^s  host.. 
And,  therefore,  beloved^  if  as,  you 
read  these  lines  you  recognize  in  yoiu:- 
life  the  interposition  of  your  Father''s, 


164:  The  cHkist  o^ 

hand  and  your  Master's  love  and 
power,  remember  that  your  blessing 
is  lost  if  it  teiininates  upon  itself, 
and  that  God  is  calling  you  through 
it  to  a  higher  service  and  nobler 
place  than  you  have  ever  known. 
Arise  and  meet  Him.  Understand 
the  meaning  of  His  visitation,  and  do 
not  miss  tliQ  blessing  of  His  coming 
into  your  life,  but  go  forth  from  this 
hour  to  recognize  your  higher  calling 
and  to  understand  Lhe  presence  which 
has  given  you  the  pledge  of  His  own 
aU-suflficient  might  for  everything 
that  Hi^  higher  service  can  hence- 
forth require  at  your  hands,  Has 
He  healed  ygur  body  ?  It  is  that  the 
life  restored  may  be  glorious  for  Him. 
Has  H§  cL^llyered  you  out  of  pecu-. 


THE  JjORTY  days  165 

niary  difficulties  ?  Remember  that 
your  business  is  henceforth.  His  and 
a  sacred  trust  for  Him.  Has  He  mar- 
velously  answered  prayer  ?  Remem- 
ber that  He  has  given  you  the  key  to 
the  Mercy  Seat  and  called  you  to  a 
ministry  of  prayer  henceforfch  for 
others  and  for  Him.  God  help  you 
to  reaUze  your  blessing  as  a  trust,  and 
consecrate  it  to  His  hi.  best  wiH  and 
the  glory  of  His  name  ! 

3,  He  still  comes  to  us  cos  to  them,, 
not  only  to  deliver  us  from  qw  trials 
and  call  us  to  higher  service,^  hut  to 
feed  our  souls  with  heaveidyj  bread 
and  supply  all  our  spiritual  need, 

^' Come  and  dine"  is  His  word  to 
us  as  well  as  unto  them.  Mere  an- 
swered prayer  is  not  sufficient  for  the 


IW  THE   CHRIST  OF 

souVs  hunger,  nor  even  Christian 
work,  in  its  most  successful  forms. 
Amid  outward  prosperity  and  abound- 
ing activity,  the  soal  may  be  starv- 
mg,— of  ten  is, —and  men  and  women 
break  down  in  the  Loi^d's  work  be- 
cause they  give  out  more  than  they 
replenish.  They  have  not  learned  the 
secret  of  this  simple  call,  '■'■  Come  and 
dine.''  **  I  believe  the  secret  of  my 
frequent  attacks  of  nervousness  and 
physical  suffering, '^  said  a  friend,  the 
other  day,  ^4s  that  I  am  doing  too 
much  work  for  the  Lord  and  taking 
too  little  time  for  gammunion  with 
Him,''  Probably  this  fiiend  was 
right,  God  often  has  to  knock  a 
little  rudely  at  the  door  of  our  sensi- 
tive nerves  to  call  us  to  the  hour  of 


THE  FORTY  DAY3  Wt 

comrnunion  and  to  the  dining-room 
where  He  renews  our  spiritual 
strength.  The  meal  was  prepared 
by  His  own  hands,  and  the  bread  and 
fish  were  brought  by  Him  first.  And 
so  Christ  Himself  must  feed  us  with 
His  living  bread, — ^by  that  ^iritual 
process  which  only  He  caa  make 
plain  and  real. 

But  they,  too,  had  sometbii^g  to 
do.  *' Bring  of  the  fish  which  ye 
have  caught."  Why  was  this  ?  Oh^^ 
the  Lord  wants  us  to  minister  to 
Him  as  well  as  receive  from  Him,, 
and  our  service  finds  its  true  end 
when  it  becomes  food  for  our  dear 
Lord.  He  was  pleased  to  feed  on 
their  fish  while  they  were  feeding  on 
His.     It  was  the  double  banquet  of 


168  THE   CHRIST  OP 

which  He  speaks  in  the  tender  mes- 
sage of  Revelation,  "  I  will  sup  with 
Him  and  He  with  me."  Beloved,  are 
we  feeding  upon  our  Lord,  and  are 
we  ministering  to  our  Lord  ?  Then, 
indeed,  is  the  ancient  peace-offering 
truly  fulfilled  in  our  blessed  fellow- 
ship with  Jesus,  and  our  service  truly 
consecrated  when  it  ministers  to  His 
joy  and  glory. 

4.  The  Christ  of  the  Forty  Days 
comes  also  to  us  still,  to  restore  us 
from  our  failures,  and  turn  them  to 
blessed  account  by  calling  us  to  nobler 
services  just  because  of  them. 

The  exquisite  scene  with  Simon 
Peter  need  not  now  be  analyzed  in 
detail  further  than  to  say  that  those 
three  questions,  ^'  Lovest  thou  me  T* 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  169 

were  not  all  the  same.  There  was  a 
shade  of  difference  In  each,  and  a 
cumulative  force  in  all,  which  brought 
back  most  distinctly  to  his  conscience 
the  memory  of  those  three  denials, 
and  the  cause  of  those  denials  in  his 
own  self-confidence  and  his  own  vain- 
glorious strength.  And  thus  still  the 
Master  comes  to  us  to  recall  the 
memory  of  our  faults  and  failures  so 
keenly  that  we  shall  not  miss  the 
lesson,  but  so  delicately  that  we  shall 
not  be  wounded  by  the  recollection  ; 
and  then  so  completely  does  He  for- 
give and  forget  that  we  know  that 
all  the  fault  has  been  undone  forever 
and  all  the  failure  more  than  restoi'cd 
by  His  grace  and  love.  There  is  al- 
ways something  for  us  to  learn  out  of 


170  THE   CHRIST   OP 

situations  like  theirs.  The  trial 
through  which  we  have  been  passing 
has  been  intended,  beloved,  to  show 
something  imperfect  in  you  and  me, 
something  in  our  life  which  the  Mas- 
ter wants  different,  and  yet,  without 
depressing  or  discouraging.  He  wishes 
simply  to  hint  at  the  defect  and  then 
to  have  us  rise  above  it  and  forget  it 
in  a  grander  victory  than  we  have 
ever  dreamed  of  before. 

No  failure  has  been  fatal  and  no 
fault  need  be  finally  injurious  if  your 
heart  has  been  left  undivided  and 
your  love  is  still  loyal  to  your  Lord, 
and  you  can  answer  back  from  the 
depths  of  your  being,  '^Lord,  thou 
knowest  that  I  love  thee  ! "  It  is  not 
the  vibration  of  the  trembling  needle 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  171 

that  He  watches,  but  its  trend  stead 
fastly  towards  the  pole,  and  the  fact 
that  it  can  only  rest  when  it  points 
without  wavering  in  that  direction. 
For  such  He  has  a  precious  service, 
and  the  three  commissions  given  to 
the  great  Apostle  are  also  left  for  us 
in  the  largest  measure  in  which  our 
love  will  take  them  up  and  faith- 
fully fulfill  them.  *  ^  Feed  my  lambs. " 
is  His  call  to  the  ministry  of  salva- 
tion, the  finding  of  His  lost  ones  and 
the  nurturing  of  His  little  ones. 
^'Shepherd  my  feeble  sheep"  is  His 
call  to  the  yet  tenderer  ministry  of 
sympathy,  instruction,  sanctification 
and  healing  to  which  He  sends  us 
forth,  for  the  multitudes  in  His  church 
who  are  w^eak  and  broken  in  their 


172  THE   CHRIST   OF 

Christian  lives,  and  longing  sim^erely 
for  a  more  satisfactory  Christian  ex- 
perience. 'Teed  my  sheep"  is  His  call 
to  labor  for  the  most  advanced 
Christians  whom  our  own  experience 
of  the  truth  and  the  Lord  may  qualify 
us  to  help.  But  for  all  these,  the 
chief  qualification  is  a  heart  of  love 
for  the  person  of  Christ,  and  without 
it  all  our  words  and  works  are 
'^  sounding  brass  and  a  tinkling  cym- 
bal." 

5.  And  finally,  there  is  one  lesson 
moi^ey  a  very  humbling  but  a  very 
necessary  one,  "If  I  will,  what  is 
that  to  thee  ?    Follow  thou  me." 

It  is  a  lesson  that  silences  our  self- 
sufficiency,  takes  our  eyes  off  all 
others,  and  leaves  each  of  us  alone 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  173 

with  that  Blessed  One  who  passes 
from  our  view  not  only  as  the  gentle 
loving  Christ  but  as  the  mighty  and 
eternal  Sovereign  of  our  life  ;  with  a 
supreme  right  to  command  our  every 
choice  and  with  a  claim  over  each  of 
us  to  the  answering  cry  of  Mary  at 
the  open  tomb,  the  cry  of  absolute 
surrender,  self-renunciation  and  en- 
tire consecration  ; — Oh  !  let  each  of 
us  send  it  back  as  our  answer  to  this 
solemn  message  this  moment,  ^^Rab- 
boni,  my  Master,  I  will  follow  thee 
whithersoever  thou  leadest." 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  GREAT  COMMISSION. 


**  And  Jesus  carae  and  spake  unto  them, 
saying,  All  power  is  given  unto  nie  in  heaven 
and  in  earth.  G-o  ye  therefore,  and  teach 
all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 
whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you ;  and, 
lo!  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world.'*— St.  Mark  xxviii:  18-20. 


^^HE  manifestation  of  the  Lord 
f  Jesus  here  recorded,  was,  in  some 
respects,  the  most  remarkable  of  aJl 
His  appearings  during  the  forty 
days.     It  was  the  only  one  by  special 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  1^5 

appointment,  the  others  being  merely 
incidental  and  mostly,  unexpected. 
This  He  had  arranged  for  even  before 
His  crucifixion,  saying  to  His  dis- 
ciples, "  After  that  I  am  risen,  I  will 
go  before  you  into  Galilee ; "  and  this 
had  been  the  message  of  the  angel 
to  the  women  on  the  morning  of  His 
resurrection:  ''Go  quickly,  and  tell 
His  disciples  that  He  is  risen  from 
the  dead ;  and  goeth  bafore  you  into 
Galilee ;  there  shall  ye  see  Him  :  lo, 
I  have  told  you."  This  also  was  the 
direct  message  of  Christ  Himself  as 
He  first  met  the  women  returning 
from  the  sepulchre:  ''Go  tell  my 
brethren  that  they  go  into  Galilee, 
and  there  shall  they  see  me."  This, 
then,  had  been  the  special  appointment 


176  THE   CHRIST  OF 

for  His  great  meeting  with  all  His 
disciples,  and  it  seems  a  little  strange, 
in  view  of  the  urgency  and  emphasis 
with  which  the  message  had  been 
given  that  they  were  so  slow  in  obey- 
ing it,  and  in  meeting  their  appoint- 
ment with  Him.  They  tarried  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Jerusalem  at  least 
eight  days  after  the  resurrection,  for 
there  were  certainly  two  Sabbaths  in 
immediate  succession  in  which  He  ap- 
peared to  them  there.  Were  they 
waiting  for  Thomas  to  join  their 
number,  or  were  they  needlessly  tardy 
in  beginning  their  journey  ?  Perhaps 
the  cause  of  the  delay  was  in  order 
that  all  the  disciples  might  receive 
the  message  and  have  time  to  attend 
the  solemn  convocation.     The  place 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  117 

appointed  we  are  not  told  ;  it  was  a 
mountain  in  Galilee.  It  would  scarcely 
be  Mount  Hermon,  the  Mount  of 
Transfiguration,  for  that  would  be 
more  remote  and  difficult  of  access 
than  was  necessary.  It  may  have 
been  the  same  mountain  where  the 
sermon  of  Matt,  v:  8,  was  delivered, 
the  famous  Horns  of  Hattin,  where 
He  had  first  proclaimed  the  principles 
of  His  kingdom  to  the  world.  It  is 
probable  that  the  five  hundred  breth- 
ren, of  whom  Paul  speaks  in  the  15th 
chapter  of  First  Corinthians  as  hav- 
ing all  seen  Him  at  once,  were  the 
persons  present  at  this  gathering. 
They  formed  the  surviving  few  who 
still  remained  faithful  after  all  the 
tragedy  of  the  crucifixion. 


178  THE  CHRIST  OF 

At  length  they  have  come  together 
and  are  waiting  for  His  appearing. 
It  was  the  first  great  missionary  con- 
vention that  the  world  ever  held,  and 
it  is  most  remarkable  that  the  only 
appointment  that  Jesus  made  with 
His  disciples  after  the  resurrection 
was  a  missionary  one.  What  a  sol- 
emn emphasis  it  gives  to  the  great 
commission  and  the  glorious  work  of 
evangelizing  the  world,  to  fully  real- 
ize the  dignity  with  which  Christ 
has  invested  this  great  occasion  !  At 
length  they  were  assembled,  and  the 
Lord  appeared  in  their  midst.  His 
coming  to  them  seems  to  have  dif. 
f ered  in  the  form  of  its  manifestation 
from  any  of  His  previous  appearings. 
The  Greek  word,  translated   '^came 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  179 

to  them,"  has  a  special  shade  of 
moaning,  implying  the  gradual  ap- 
proach— ''He  came  toward  them," 
becoming  visible  at  first  at  some  dis- 
tance and  majestically  coming  nearer, 
until  at  length  He  stood  before  them, 
coming  down,  perhaps,  from  the  lofty 
mountain  top  which  rose  above  their 
heads.  His  appearance  was  impres- 
sive enough  to  throw  most  of  them 
upon  their  faces  in  adoring  reverence; 
yet  there  were  some,  even  here,  who 
doubted  His  identity. 

Then  He  addressed  to  them  His 
great  and  important  message,  con- 
taining, first,  the  claim  of  His  kingly 
power  and  prerogatives ;  secondly. 
His  great  commission  to  them  to  go 
forth    and    establish    His    kingdom 


180  THE  jCHRIST    OF 

among  all  nations ;  and  thirdly,  the 
promise  of  His  presence  through  all 
the  days  until  the  end  of  the  age. 
Let  us  realize,  as  we  dwell  upon 
these  three  great  themes,  that  this 
was  not  a  message  to  the  eleven  but 
to  all  the  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ; 
to  all  the  days  until  the  end  of  the 
age;  for  the  company  He  had  in  His 
mind's  eye  must  have  included  all 
that  gathered  around  Him  and  would 
take  up  His  commands  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  age  of  which  He  spoke. 
It  included  us,  if  we  will  meet  the 
conditions  of  His  promise  and  the 
responsibilities  of  His  great  com- 
mand. 

1.    The  Iloyal  Proclamation^  "All 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  181 

power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven 
and  in  earth.''^ 

This  is  really  the  manifesto  of  our 
King,  in  assuming  His  mediatorial 
throne.  In  declaring  that  all  power 
is  given  unto  Him  in  heaven  and  in 
earth,  He  does  not  refer  to  His  prim- 
eval deity  and  His  Divine  rights,  but 
to  that  special  kingdom  and  author- 
ity given  to  Him  in  the  eternal  cove- 
nant of  redemption  on  account  of 
His  finished  work.  It  is  something 
that  has  now  been  given  to  Him ;  it 
is  the  throne  of  the  Mediator  which 
He  assumes  at  the  Father's  right 
hand,  for  the  purpose  of  accomplish- 
ing His  great  work  of  redemption, 
for  which  He  has  already  suffered 
and  died.     It  is  that  of  which  He  de- 


182  THE   CHRIST  OP 

clared,  ^'The  Father  hath  committed 
all  judgment  unto  the  Son.''  *'The 
Father  loveth  the  Son  and  hath  given 
all  things  into  His  hand."  ''He 
must  reign  until  He  hath  put  all 
things  under  His  feet ;  then  shall  He 
Himself  be  subject  unto  the  Father 
to  whom  He  shall  deliver  up  the 
kingdom,  and  God  shall  be  all  in  all." 
The  word  ''power"  here  more  ex- 
actly means  "dominion,  authority," 
and  has  reference  to  the  sceptre  and 
sovereignty  of  a  king.  The  Lord 
Jesus  means  that  He  has  been  ap- 
pointed to  administer  the  govern- 
ment, both  of  heaven  and  earth,  until 
the  consummation  of  redemption.  It 
is,  indeed,  a  glorious  and  transcendent 
claim. 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  183 

1.  He  has  all  power  to  settle^  the 
standing  and  destmy  of  e\  ery  sinner, 
and  to  control  all  our  future  prospects 
and  our  relations  to  God.  He  Him- 
self could  say,  ''  Thou  hast  given  Him 
power  over  all  flesh,  that  He  should 
give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  Thou 
hast  given  Him."  Through  His 
Name  and  the  acceptance  of  His 
words  all  sins  are  forgiven,  and  the 
guilty  soul  in  a  moment  translated 
out  of  the  kingdom  of  Satan  and 
from  the  curse  of  sin  and  hell  to  the 
giorions  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God  and  heirship  of  His  everlasting 
kingdom.  He  has  power,  in  a  mo- 
ment, to  arrest  the  sentence  of  judg- 
ment and  condemnation,,  and  to  pro- 
claim the  guilty* acquitted,  justified, 


184  THE   CHRIST  OF 

and  joint-heirs  with  Himself  of  all 
the  hopes  of  the  Gospel. 

The  power  of  salvation  is  in  His 
hands.  Once,  when  visiting  the 
Castle  of  Toulon,  in  France,  the 
Emperor  gave  to  a  friendly  king  the 
right  to  set  a  single  prisoner  free, 
and  he  accepted  it  as  a  royal  compli- 
ment ;  but  the  Son  of  God  has  re- 
ceived from  the  Father  the  right  to 
emancipate  every  criminal  under  the 
sun  from  every  curse  of  the  law  of 
God,  if  he  will  accept  His  mighty 
clemency.  Well  may  we  rejoice  in 
the  power  of  Jesus,  -  His  power  to 
save.  Well  may  the  prophet  cry  m 
wonder  and  admiration,  ''Who  is 
this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with 
dyed  garments  from  Bozrah  ?    I  that 


THE  FORTY   DAYS  185 

Bpeak    in  righteousness,    mighty   to 
save." 

2.  He  has  all  power  to  control  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
mighty  spirit  of  Pentecost  is  His 
gift.  The  power  that  convicts  of  sin, 
of  righteousness  and  of  judgment  is 
from  Him.  The  power  that  clothed 
the  Apostles  with  such  resistless 
might  and  Divine  efficiency  is  the 
power  of  our  risen  Christ,  for  Peter 
said  of  Him,  '^Having  received  of  the 
Father  honor  and  glory  He  hath  shed 
forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and 
hear ;  therefore,  let  all  the  house  of 
Israel  know  assuredly  that  God  hath 
made  this  same  Jesus,  whom  ye 
have  crucified,  both  Lord  and 
Christ."     '^God  giveth  not  the  Spirit 


186  THE   CHRIST   OF 

by  measure  unto  Him."  He  has 
power  still  to  awaken  the  most  in- 
sensible soul  and  break  tlie  most 
hardened  heart.  It  was  He  w^ho 
struck  down  Saul  of  Tarsus  and  broke 
his  heart  by  a  glance  and  word.  It 
was  He  who  convicted  the  rude  jailer 
in  the  midnight  hour.  It  was  He 
who  opened  the  heart  of  Lydia  as 
the  sun  opens  the  blossoms  of  spring; 
and  He  still  has  power  to  draw  the 
sinner,  to  melt  the  stony  heart,  to 
conquer  the  stubborn  will,  to  sanctify 
the  sinful  soul,  to  consecrate  the 
whole  being  to  Himself. 

Is  there  anything  that  we  need  in 
our  own  spiritual  life  or  in  our  work 
for  souls  ?  Our  glorious  King  has  all 
power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  to  ac- 
complish it. 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  18^ 

3.  He  has  all  power  to  give  efficacy 
to  our  prayers.  He  is  our  Great 
High  Priest  as  well  as  King.  "  Him 
the  Father  heareth  always.''  His 
hands  receive  our  imperfect  supplica- 
tions, and  cleanse  them  from  their 
defects,  and  add  to  them  His  own 
intercessions  and  the  incense  of  His 
perfect  offering,  and  then  He  claims 
them  as  the  right  of  His  redemption, 
and  fulfills  them  by  the  might  of  His 
omnipotence.  Therefore,  there  is 
nothing  too  hard  for  Him  to  grant  to 
our  supplications,  or  too  difficult  for 
us  to  ask  of  His  Almighty  faithful- 
ness, when  we  remember  that  we  are 
presenting  our  requests  in  the  very 
name  and  character  of  Him  who  has 
''all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth." 


188  THE   CHRIST   OF 

/'Seeing  then  that  we  have  a  Great 
High  Priest,  that  is  passed  into  the 
heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  let 
us  come  boldly  to  the  Throne  of 
Grace."  As  we  go  forth  in  our  work 
for  God  and  in  fulfillment,  especially, 
of  the  great  commission  of  this  pas- 
sage, our  weapon  is  chiefly  prayer; 
and  in  the  light  of  this  mighty  mani- 
festo, what  may  we  not  dare  to  claim 
for  our  own  efficiency  and  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  world  ? 

4c,  He  has  all  power  in  the  realm 
of  providence.  The  mighty  and  burn- 
ing wheels  of  Ezekiel's  vision  all 
move  at  the  touch  of  His  hand ;  the 
chariots  of  the  vision  that  Zachariah 
saw  riding  through  the  earth  and 
putting  all  its  'conflicts  at  rest,  go 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  189 

forth  at  His  bidding.  The  thrones 
of  earth  rise  and  fall  at  His  com- 
mand. The  events  of  history  are 
the  out-working  of  His  plans.  The 
book  with  the  seven  seals  is  held  by 
His  hand  and  opened  by  Him  alone. 
It  is  not  true,  of  course,  that  He  is  re- 
sponsible for  the  wickedness  and  will- 
fulness of  man,  but  His  hand  is  over 
all  man's  ways  and  His  providence 
overrules  all  events.  We  see  this 
constantly  in  His  earthly  ministry, 
and  in  His  government  of  the  church 
in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  How 
easily  He  could  send  Peter  to  the  sea 
for  the  single  fish  which  had  the 
golden  coin  in  its  mouth,  sufficient 
to  meet  His  needs  !  How  exactly  He 
brought  about  the  assembled  multi- 


190  THE   CHRIST   OF 

tudes  at  Pentecost,  at  the  right  time, 
to  receive  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  then 
scattered  them  all  over  the  world  ! 
How  wondrously  He  brought  together 
Philip  and  the  eunuch  in  the  desert 
at  the  right  moment,  and  then  sent 
the  converted  prince  to  evangelize  a 
kingdom  and  a  continent !  How 
easily  He  could  lay  His  hand  on  the 
life  of  the  impious  Herod,  and  pro- 
tect the  trusting  Peter  from  His  vio- 
lence !  How  marvelously  He  guarded 
the  life  of  Paul  through  perils  of  per- 
secuting foes,  through  perils  of 
waters  and  perils  of  every  enemy, 
until  his  work  for  Him  was  accom- 
plished !  How  marvelously  the  Old 
Testament  illustrates  His  providen- 
ces !    He  could   send   the  child  of  a 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  191 

Hebrew  slave,  doomed  to  death,  into 
the  house  of  Pharaoh,  to  become  the 
child  of  Egypt's  king,  and  the  de- 
liverer of  Israel  from  the  man  who 
had  sought  his  own  life  in  infancy. 
He  could  lead  an  army  of  three  mil- 
lions for  forty  years  through  the 
barren  wilderness,  and  sustain  them 
without  hunger  or  lack.  He  could 
send  a  Hebrew  maiden  into  the  house 
of  Persia's  monarch  and  make  fair 
Esther  the  deliverer  of  her  people. 
He  could  use  a  Cyrus,  without  his 
understanding  it,  to  be  the  restorer 
of  Israel's  scattered  tribes  when  the 
seventy  years  were  literally  fulfilled, 
and  make  Daniel's  captivity  the  oc- 
casion of  his  life  and  testimony  in 
Babylon   and    the    subjugation    of 


192  THE   CHRIST  OP 

Nebuchadnezzar  and  Darius  at  the 
feet  of  Israel's  God.  He  could  give 
Jeremiah  courage  to  be  fearless  and 
faithful  for  forty  years,  amid  the 
perils  of  Jerusalem's  last  days,  and 
then  He  could  protect  and  guard  his 
life,  alone,  of  all  others,  in  the  hour 
of  her  fall  and  amid  the  massacre  of 
her  inhabitants.  And  He  who  did 
all  this  is  Jesus,  our  Lord  and  Christ, 
with  power  undiminished,  and  only 
waiting  for  faith  to  claim  its  yet 
mightier  victories  in  these  last  days. 
What  God  wants  to-day  in  His 
Church,  and  in  His  work,  is  not  so 
much  that  the  world  shall  see  the 
power  of  the  Church,  as  the  power 
of  her  Lord  and  the  presence  of  Him 
who  goes  forth  with  His  weakest 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  193 

servants  and  becomes  their  might 
and  their  mighty  Victor.  Oh,  as  we 
go  forth  to  evangeUze  the  nations 
and  to  represent  our  God  amid  the 
mighty  forces  of  the  world's  last 
and,  intellectually,  highest  days,  let 
it  be  our  supreme  mission  to  realize 
and  show  forth  the  might  of  our 
Anointed  King,  and  so  to  stand  for 
Him  that  the  world  can  see  once 
more  that  He  has  ^^all  power  in 
heaven  and  in  earth." 

5.  He  has  all  power  over  natural 
laws  and  forces.  While  this  mate- 
rial world  is  His  creation,  and  He  does 
not  usually  mar  nor  interrupt  the  uni- 
form movement  of  the  forces  and 
laws  that  He  has  framed,  yet  He  can 
suspend  them  at  will  and  substitute 


194:  THE   CHRIST    OF 

higher  forces  if  He  pleases^  just  as 
the  engineer  can  stop  the  engine  or 
reverse  it  at  his  will.  And  so  the 
Lord  Jesus  holds  in  His  control  the 
elements  of  nature,  and  still  can  quell 
the  storm  or  bid  it  come;  can  coun- 
teract the  poisonous  malaria  or  ren- 
der it  harmless  ;  can  vitalize  these 
exhausted  physical  frames  with  His 
Divine  life  until  ^'out  of  weakness 
they  are  made  strong,"  and  can  carry 
and  sustain  us  through  all  the  diffi- 
culties and  apparent  impossibilities 
that  may  surround  our  work  for 
Him.  Let  us  go  forth,  especially  in 
the  work  of  missions,  realizing  this, 
that  nature  is  subordinate  to  redemp- 
tion, and  the  natural  subordinate  to 
the  spiritual,    and   the  kingdom  of 


THE    FORTY    DAYS  195 

matter  is  under  the  control  of  the 
King  of  Saints: 

6.  Again,  He  has  all  power  over 
the  minds  and  passions  of  men.  He 
can  hold  back  the  murderer  of  sav- 
age heathen  from  their  design  or  ren- 
der them  helpless  in  their  furious  at- 
tack. Dr.  Paton  tells  us  how  often 
the  savages  of  Tanna  assembled  to 
take  his  life,  and  some  chief  was  led 
to  stand  up  in  a  critical  moment,  and 
by  an  unlooked  for  suggestion  to  turn 
them  aside  from  their  plan,  and  they 
dispersed  without  hurting  a  hair  of 
his  head  ;  and  then,  again,  more  mar- 
velously  still,  how  he  had  gone  scores 
of  times  through  armed  and  furious 
crowds  of  naked  savages,  determined 
to  murder  him,    and   escaped  theij- 


196  THE   CHRIST  OF 

hamis ;  turning  sometimes  to  them 
and  commanding  them,  in  the  Name 
of  the  God  of  heaven  to  disperse  and 
desist  ;  and  sometimes,  seeing  their 
muskets  pointed  and  their  spears 
poised,  and  yet  in  a  few  moments  fall 
unused  to  the  ground,  and  his  life 
miraculously  spared.  Our  blessed 
Christ  has  still  this  power  in  every 
place  where  His  servants  need  His 
protecting  presence,  for  He  has  "  all 
power  on  earth."  King's  hearts  are 
in  His  hand,  and  He  can  still  say  to  all 
our  foes,  '^  Touch  not  mine  anointed 
and  do  my  prophets  no  harm."  He 
can  still  induce  men  to  receive  us,  to 
accept  our  testimony,  to  help  us  by 
their  influence,  their  means  and  their 
co-operation.     It  was  He  who  gave 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  197 

Daniol  favor  with  his  masters  in  Baby- 
lon, and  Joseph  the  confidence  of  his 
king,  and  Mordecai  his  place  of  power 
in  Persia,  and  Paul  the  confidence  of 
the  Roman  captain  and  Caesar's 
household  ;  and  in  every  age  He  has 
shown  how  He  can  put  His  hand  on 
men  when  He  needs  them,  and  call 
them  in  a  moment  to  the  place  He 
means  them  to  fill. 

Oh,  that  we  might  know  better  and 
trust  more  fully  our  Almighty  King  ! 
Then  would  we  trust  less  in  man  and 
care  less,  either  for  his  frowns  or  his 
favor,  but  moving  on  in  the  might  of 
a  Divine  dependence,  would  know 
that  God  would  bring  to  us  all  men 
that  we  need  for  His  work,  and  hel]) 
us,  by  many  or  by  few,  as  He  sees  best. 


198  THE  CHRIST  OF 

Y.  Christ  has  all  power  over  the 
lower  orders  of  creation.  "  Behold  I 
give  you  power,"  He  says,  'Ho  tread 
on  serpents  and  scorpions  and  nothing 
shall  by  any  means  hurt  you."  He 
that  went  with  Daniel  into  the  lion's 
den  has  gone  many  times  since  then 
with  men  like  Arnot  into  the  jungles 
of  Africa,  and  paralyzed  the  fury  of 
the  savage  beasts  and  made  them 
slink  away  abashed  before  the  keen 
and  fearless  eye  of  His  trusting  child. 

8.  Christ  has  all  power  over  Satan 
and  all  our  spiritual  foes.  We  are  so 
glad  of  this.  We  meet  our  adversary 
with  the  assurance  that  he  is  a  con- 
quered foe  in  the  presence  of  our 
Lord.  We  may  well  fear  him  in  our 
own  behalf,  but  as  we  claim  the  abid- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  199 

ing  presence  of  our  Christ,  he  is  but  a 
toothless  hon,  a  disarmed  and  humih- 
ated  foe  and  an  empty  shadow  and 
sham.  Let  us  not  dread  his  power  nor 
try  to  evade  his  fury,  for  he  will  do 
his  worst  against  us  ;  but  with  our 
Master  in  our  midst  we  need  not  be 
afraid  ;  his  assaults  will  only  end  in 
greater  victories,  and  in  all  these 
things  '^  we  are  more  than  conquer- 
ors through  Him  that  Ipved  us. "  Are 
we  not  afraid  sometimes,  and  shrink 
from  positions  yvhere  we  know  we 
shall  meet  the  adversary's  wrath  ? 
Let  us  no  longer  dishonor  our  Lord, 
but  know  that  the  places  of  most 
peril  are  the  places  of  the  most  abso- 
lute safety. 
9.  Christ  has  all  power  over  angelic 


200  THE   CHKIST   OF 

beings.  These  mighty  creatures  who 
form  the  executive  officers  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  God,  and  throng  the  uni- 
verse with  their  ceaseless  ministries, 
all  go  forth  under  the  orders  of  our 
Anointed  King.  Myriads  of  them 
crowd  this  earth  and  wait  upon  the 
saints  of  God,  but  they  are  all  sub- 
ject to  our  Master's  order.  Occa- 
sionally the  curtain  parts  enough  for 
us  to  see  the  s]jining  form  of  one  or 
two  as  they  are  engaged  upon  their 
ceaseless  services,  but  when  we  see 
them  not,  they  are  doubtless  ever 
near.  The  Old  Testament  is  full  of 
their  interpositions  in  human  affairs, 
and  the  New  has  many  examples  of  it. 
It  was  an  angel  that  opened  the  Re- 
deemer's tomb  ;  an  angel  that  told 


THE  FORTY   DAYS  201 

Mary  of  the  Resurrection  ;  an  angel 
opened  Peter's  prison  and  smote  his 
persecutor ;  an  angel  stood  on  the 
tossing  ship  by  the  side  of  Paul  and 
promised  him  deliverance.  And,  sure- 
ly, their  ministry  did  not  end  when 
the  great  apostles  passed  home.  Un- 
seen by  mortal  eyes  they  have  still 
fulfilled  their  loving  tasks  through 
every  generation  ;  and  when  each  of 
us  shall  close  our  eyes  on  the  last  hu- 
man face,  we  shall  find  some  shining 
companion  by  our  side  gazing  upon 
us  with  a  look  of  quiet  recognition 
and  tender  affection,  smihijg  at  our 
look  of  wonder,  and  saying  to  us,  per» 
haps,  '^I  have  known  .you  for  half  a 
century,  better  than  your  mother, 
your  wife  or  dearest  friend.     I  nursed 


202  THE    CHRIST   OF 

your  infancy,  guarded  your  child- 
hood, protected  your  manhood,  hov- 
ered over  your  dying  bed  and  now  am 
waiting  to  guide  your  spirit  home." 

Who  of  us  cannot  remember  some 
moment  when  we  had  just  escaped 
a  sudden  peril,  stood  within  a  hair- 
breadth of  death  ;  and  as  our  palpita- 
ting heart  recovered  its  pulsation,  a 
strange  heavenly  hush  breathed  over 
our  spirit  and  a  voice  almost  seemed 
to  whisper,  ^^He  shall  give  His  angels 
charge  concerning  thee  to  guard  thee 
in  all  thy  ways. "  Samuel  Rutherford 
tells  us,  h^w  when  a  child,  he  fell  into 
a  deep  well.  For  a  long  time  he 
struggled  to  Ijold  on  to  the  slippery 
sides  and  called  in  vain  for  help,  and 
at  last  began  to  sink.      Just  as  he 


THE  FORTY   DAYS  203 

was  perishing,  he  says,  a  beautiful 
man  slipped  quietly  down  into  the 
well,  lifted  him  out  without  a  word, 
and  l^ft  him  safely  on  the  ground 
above  and  immediately  disappeared. 
The  glorious  old  saint  did  not  doubt 
that  it  was,  liteially,  an  angel  of  the 
Lord. 

How  often  they  have  interposed 
for  the  visible  deliverance  of  God's 
servants  we  cannot  tell.  Who  knows 
but  they  come  in  human  guise  some- 
times, when  all  other  help  has  failed. 
Enough  to  know  that  when  we  need 
them  they  are  at  hand  in  the  most 
lonely  place,  and  they  are  all  under 
the  command  of  the  Son  of  God  ;  for 
it  is  said,  ^'Let  all  the  angels  of  God 
worship  Him,"  and  in  the  Book  of 


204  THE   CHRIST   OF 

Eevelation  we  see  them  going  forth 
at  His  bidding  to  fulfill  His  mighty 
purposes  in  these  last  days. 

10.  Finally,  our  Eisen  Christ  is  yet 
to  have  all  the  power  of  earth's  king- 
doms under  His  Sceptre  and  to  be  the 
King  of  Kings  and  Lord  of  Lords. 
God  will  overturn  and  overturn  and 
overturn,  until  He  come,  whose  right 
it  is,  for  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
must  become  the  kingdom  of  our 
Lord  and  of  His  Christ.  This  is 
Christ's  covenant  right  and  reward, 
and  the  Father's  heart  will  never  be 
satisfied  for  His  Son  until  His  will  be 
done  on  earth  as  it  is  in  heaven.  We 
shall  yet  see  our  blessed  King  wear- 
ing the  crown  of  all  the  world,  and 
we  shall  see  every  knee  bowing  to 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  205 

Hira,   and  every  tongue  confessing 
that  He  is  Lord. 

"  He  shall  reign,  from  pole  to  pole, 
With  illimitable  sway  ; 
He  shall  reign,  when  like  a  scroll 
Earth  and  heaven  shall  pass  away." 

Oh,  let  US  reahze  the  vision  and 
haste  its  fulfillment  in  His  glorious 

coming  ! 

IL  The  Great  Commission:  ''Go  ye^ 
therefore,  and  disciple  all  nations,^^ 

Because  of  His  power,  and  because 
of  His  right,  He  bids  His  disciples  go 
forth  to  establish  His  kingdom  among 
all  nations. 

1.  We  must  be  struck,  first  of  all, 
with  the  boldness  and  majesty  of  this 
command.  He  did  not  send  them 
now  simply  to  individuals,  but  to  na- 


206  THE   CHRIST  OF 

tions.  He  looked  upon  the  mighty 
communities  of  earth  as  not  too  great 
for  the  conquest  of  His'kingdom,  and 
the  mission  of  His  followers  to  win. 
He  sends  us  forth  as  ambassadors  to 
earth's  great  powers  and  as  His  sol- 
diers against  the  mighty  hosts  of  hu- 
manity. The  work  of  foreign  mis- 
sions ought  to  deal  very  directly  not 
only  with  individuals  but  with  na- 
tions. God  has  a  purpose  in  the 
tongues  of  earth.  He  wants  them  all 
represented  in  the  great  triumphant 
song  which  is  to  echo  around  the 
throne,  and  we  ought  not  to  be  satis- 
fied while  a  nation  or  tongue  is  not 
evangelized.  Indeed,  His  coming  is 
directly  connected  with  the  evangel- 
ization of  all  nations,  not  necessarily 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  207 

all  individuals.  The  Church  of  to-day 
ought  to  lift  up  her  eyes  upon  the 
fields  and  see  how  far  and  how  faith- 
fully she  has  fulfilled  this  commission 
with  respect  to  neglected  nations  and 
unevangelized  races  and  peoples.  It 
would  seem  to  be  the  special  call  of 
Christ  to-day  to  each  of  us  to  see,  so 
far  as  in  us  lies,  that  every  commun- 
ity that  has  not  yet  received  the  Gos- 
pel is  specially  visited  with  the  mes- 
sage of  our  King.  There  are  still 
many  tribes  of  earth  who  have  not 
received  the  message.  There  are 
scores  in  Africa  and  several  in  Asia, 
who  have  yet  no  part  in  the  Chorus 
of  Redemption,  and  were  the  Lord  to 
come  to-morrow,  their  tongue  would 
not  be  heard  in  the  great  millennial 


208  THE   CHRIST   OF 

Psalm,  which  shall  arise  at  His  com- 
ing, when 

"  All  people  that  on  earth  do  dwell, 
Sing  to  the  Lord  with  cheerful  voice." 

2.  The  universality  of  the  commis- 
sion is  sublime.  It  sweeps  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  world.  It  spreads 
its  royal  sceptre  over  an  empire  more 
magnificent  than  Nebuchadnezzar 
claimed  or  Caesar  saw.  It  reaches 
far  beyond  the  narrow  limits  of  Jew- 
ish patriotism  or  imperial  ambition. 
Never  Empire  so  grand  and  universal 
as  that  which,  bye-and-bye,  shall  join 
in  the  chorus  of  Coronation, 

•*  While  every  kindred,  every  tribe 
On  this  terrestrial  ball, 
Shall  join  the  everlasting  song, 
And  crown  Him  Lord  of  all/ 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  209 

Oh,  as  we  have  already  said,  let 
each  missionary  burn  to  make  the 
victories  of  the  Gospel  as  universal 
as  the  commission  which  He  has 
given,  and  may  each  of  us  have  the 
holy  aspiration  to  add  one  other 
tongue  or  one  other  tribe  that  none 
have  reached  before,  to  the  glorious 
song  which  is  soon  to  burst  forth 
when  the  ransomed  hosts  from  every 
land  shall,  with  songs,  surround  the 
throne,  and  it  shall,  indeed,  be  true, 

*'Teii  thousand  thousand  are  their  tongues, 
But  all  their  hearts  are  one." 

3.  The  Commission  given  is  an  ag- 
gressive and  progressive  one:  ''Go 
ye."  It  does  not  imply,  by  any 
means,  the  idea  of  settling  down  in 
comfortable  repose  and  consolidating 


210  THE  CHRIST  OP 

great  ecclesiastical  institutions;  but 
ft  is  a  ministry  of  itinerance,  and 
we  very  much  doubt  whether  any 
church  or  servant  of  the  Lord  should 
cease  to  go  in  this  sense  of  aggres- 
sive and  progressive  work.  The  mis- 
sionary is  to  go  until  all  regions 
are  visited  and  all  tribes  evangelized; 
the  Church  is  to  go  until  all  who  are 
at  liberty  have  become  the  messen- 
gers of  the  Gospel.  In  the  early 
church  we  find  not  only  Paul  and 
Barnabas  going,  but  Aquila  and  Pris- 
cilla,  working  people,  Gains  and 
Aristarchus,  and  many  of  Paul's 
companions  constantly  moving  with 
him  from  place  to  place,  evidently 
men  and  women  from  the  ordinary 
^alks  of  life,  who  counted  it  theii 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  211 

(X)nimission  to  share  in  the  toils  and 
tasks  of  the  Gospel.  The  time  has 
come  when  the  heathen  world  needs 
more  than  stereotyped  miilisters  to 
meet  its  awful  needs,  and  Christ  is 
calling  a  whole  army  of  plain  and 
practical  men  and  women  to  cover 
its  needy  fields.  Good  Bishop  Taylor 
has  suggested  the  true  method  to  a 
great  extent.  Good  Pastor  Hearns 
long  before  suggested  perhaps  even 
a  better;  one  namely,  the  missionary 
colony,  and  to-day  in  Africa  and  In- 
dia thousands  cd  happy  native  Chris- 
tians are  the  fruit  of  a  humble  mis- 
sionary movement,  in  which  a  whole 
parish  almost  moved  bodily  to  the 
heathen  world  and  settled  down 
a.mong  them,  to  teach  them  how  to 


212  THE   CHRIST  OP 

live  as  well  as  how  to  know  the 
Lord.  God  grant  that  the  next  ten 
years  may  put  such  a  go  in  the  hearts 
of  thousands  of  the  consecrated  chil- 
dren of  God  that  they  cannot  longer 
stay  at  home,  and  a  great  army  of 
thousands  of  picked  men  and  wo- 
men, who  fear  no  hardship  and  seek 
no  rest  short  of  the  Master's  coming, 
shall  spread  over  all  the  neglected 
fields  of  the  heathen  world ! 

*4.  The  first  process  in  this  great 
work  is  denoted  by  the  term  ''dis- 
ciple all  nations. "  This  is  not ' '  teach, " 
which  is  an  incorrect  translation, 
'  but  rather  evangelize,  and  bring  to 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  and  the  fold 
of  Christ.  It  is,  in  a  word,  the  work 
of    evangelization,    the    quick    ^nd 


THE  FORTY   DAYS  213 

world-wide  proclamation  of  the  Gos- 
pel in  every  land,  with  a  view  to  the 
gathering  out  of  all  who  are  wiUing 
to  confess  the  truth  and  follow  the 
Saviour.  This  is  the  first  work  of 
missions,  and  until  this  is  done  the 
work  of  costly  organization  ^nd  edu- 
cation should  1)0  held  in  sub-ordina- 
tion. Too  little  has  this  been  the 
object  of  Missionary  Societies  and  too 
much  the  building  up  of  elaborate 
estabhshments.  Some  of  the  more 
recent  Societies  have  struck  the  true 
keynote  and  are  sweeping  over  the 
world  with  a  success  unparalleled  in 
modern  missions.  Little  wonder  that 
the  Master  blesses  a  method  so  in 
keeping  with  His  own  command. 
This  was  the  Apostolic  method.     In 


214  "THE   CHRIST   OF 

his  great  missionary  journeys  Paul 
swept  over  vast  fields.  In  a  few 
months  he  had  itinerated  over  Cy- 
prus, Iconium,  and  Central  Asia 
Minor,  and  then  was  ready  to  go  over 
these  fields  again  and  establish  them 
more  formally.  On  his  later  journeys 
he  swept  with  similar  celerity  over 
Syria,  Cilicia,  Galatia,  Macedonia 
and  Achaia  in,  perhaps,  two  or  three 
years,  preaching  the  Gospel  in  many 
countries  and  gathering  multitudes 
to  Christ.  This  is  the  world's  great 
need  to-day.  In  a  single  generation 
its  entire  population  will  have  passed 
away,  and  what  has  to  be  done  must 
be  done  at  once.  It  has  been  shown 
already  that  one  thousand  men  and 
two  and  a  half  million  dollars  would 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  815 

evangelize  the  whole  of  China  in  five 
years  ;  the  same  nnmber  of  men,  and 
the  same  amount  of  money  would 
accomplish  the  same  for  Africa,  pro- 
vided that  all  sections  of  the  country 
could  be  safely  penetrated,  and  doubt- 
less God  would  open  the  way  as  fast 
as  the  Church  is  ready  to  enter.  And 
the  same  number  of  men  and  amount 
of  money  would  cover  aU  other  neg- 
lected fields.  A  small  army  of 
picked  men,  with  the  trifling  expen- 
diture of  seven  and  a  half  million 
dollars,  less  than  the  fortune  of  a 
single  Christian  man,  would  evan- 
gelize the  entire  world  long  before 
the  century  is  finished,  and  yet  such 
a  campaign  would  be  sublimer,  even 
if  looked  at  only  from  a  human  stand- 


216  THE   CHRIST   OF 

point,  than  any  that  the  world  hr.s 
ever  seen. 

The  other  night,  in  Albert  Hall  in 
London,  the  royal  family  of  England 
and  the  most  distinguished  men  and 
women  of  the  nation  assembled  and 
stood  up  upon  their  feet  to  receive 
and  honor  Henry  Stanley  because  he 
had  successfully  penetrated  Afrix^a 
and  rescued  a  brave  man  from  isola- 
tion and  peril.  Oh,  what  honor  will 
heaven  pay  to  the  men  and  women 
who  will  penetrate  these  dark  regions 
for  a  nobler  purpose  and  rescue  their 
millions  from  the  tyranny  of  Satan 
and  the  curse  of  despair  !  Surely  all 
heaven  will  stand  up  some  day  to  re- 
ceive them  and  the  Son  of  God  Him- 
self will  make  them  sit  down  and  will 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  217 

serve  them  with  His  own  Royaj 
hands.  God  help  us  to  understand 
the  meaning  of  our  times  and  mag- 
nificence of  our  opportunity  ! 

5.  The  work  of  evangehzation  is 
to  be  followed  by  the  work  of  organ- 
ization. '^Baptizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  This  is  the 
ecclesiastical  part,  but  there  is  a 
notable  absence  of  all  ecclesiasticism. 
We  find  no  name  of  modern  church 
is  this  organization.  The  ©nly  name 
into  which  they  are  baptized  is  that 
of  God.  Thank  God  the  best  mis- 
sionary w^ork  of  to-day  is  undenomi- 
national !  Thank  God  the  churches 
of  the  mission  field  are  growing 
weary  of  denominational  names,  and 


218  THE   CHRIST  OF 

finding  the  necessity  of  presenting  to 
the  colossal  wall  of  heathenism  the 
mighty  front  of  the  united  Church 
of  Christ.  And  so  we  find  the 
*' United  Church  of  Japan,"  and  the 
struggle  for  the  same  united  form  in 
India  and  other  mission  fields.  There 
must  of  course  b  organization  :  the 
public  confession  of  Christ  in  bap- 
tism; the  uniting  of  the  little  flock 
in  the  name  of  Christ,  and  the  proper 
discipline  and  government  of  the 
Church,  but  this  should  be  as  simple 
and  as  Hke  the  primitive  Church  as 
possible,  and  adapted  in  each  case  as 
to  its  form  to  the  leadings  of  the 
missionary  himself  and  the  exigen- 
cies of  the  case. 
6.   The  last  direction  respecting  this 


THE  FORTY    DAYS  219 

great  work  has  reference  to  wliat 
we  might  call  the  edification  of  the 
Church.  It  includes  the  building  up 
of  the  Church  of  Christ  in  truth  and 
holiness;  ''teaching  them  to  ob- 
serve all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
commanded  you."  This,  of  course, 
includes  the  deeper  instruction  and 
the  higher  training  of  the  Church  of 
Christ,  and  this  is  proper  and  scrip- 
tural both  in  the  Church  at  home 
and  abroad,  and  should  be  carefully 
provided  for,  that  the  flock  may  be 
fed,  not  only  with  milk  but  with 
meat,  and  prepared  for  the  highest 
Christian  living  and  the  most  effec- 
tive work  for  the  Master.  But  it  is 
not  in  the  traditions  of  men  that  it 
is  to  be  taught,  but  in  the  command- 


220  THE   CHRIST   OF 

ments  of  Christ ;  and  not  even  sc 
much  in  the  theological  lore  of  the 
academies  and  school-',  as  in  the 
practical  observances  of  His  will  and 
the  duties  and  experiences  of  holy 
living,  the  one  simple  rule  of  life 
being  His  word  and  His  command- 
ments. 

Such,  then,  is  the  Master's  Great 
Commission;  the  one  message  which 
He  gave  on  this  great  occasion,  this 
most  important  meeting  with  His 
flock  after  His  resurrection. 

Beloved,  what  hast  thou  done  with 
this  message  ?  What  art  thou  going 
to  do,  reader  ?  What  does  this  mean 
for  thee?  Thou  shalt  soon  meet  Him 
in  His  Kingly  glory.  What  wilt 
thou  then  say  about  this  last  word 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  221 

which  He  has  left  for  thee  ?  Art 
thou  sure  thou  hast  an  excuse  that 
will  meet  His  smile  in  that  glorious 
day,  and  that  He  will  say,  "  Thou 
hast  done  thy  best  to  glorify  mo  and 
to  accomplish  my  will  for  a  lost 
world."  But  unless  we  are  sure  we 
can  meet  Him  thus,  let  us  be  very 
slow  to  take  the  comfort  of  this  last 
promise,  ''Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway, 
even  unto  the  end  of  the  age,"  for 
it  is  very  certain  that  it  is  linked 
with  the  commission  and  our  obedi- 
ence to  it,  as  the  Son  is  linked  witli 
the  Father,  and  as  obedience  is  ever 
Hnked  with  blessing.  Unless  I  am 
sure  I  am  doing  more  at  home  to  send 
the  Gospel  abroad  than  I  can  do 
abroad,  I  am  bound  to  go,  and  if  He 


222  THE   CHRIST  OF 

wants  me  I  am  ready  to  go  whenever 
He  calls  and  makes  it  plain.  This  and 
this  alone  is  the  attitude  of  fidelity  on 
the  part  of  each  of  us  to  this  sacred 
word  of  our  departing  Lord.  And 
with  the  most  awful  solemnity  would 
we  lay  it  upon  the  heart  of  every 
reader  of  these  lines,  and  we  feel  sure 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  will  carry  it  home 
to  the  consciences  of  men  with  irre- 
sistible authority,  as  the  mandate  of 
the'Master  Himself  to  many  who  have 
not  thought  of  it  before. 

Ill,  The  Abiding  Presence,  "  Lo!  I 
am  with  you  all  the  days  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  age.^^ 

There  is  something  very  emphatic 
in  the  note  of  exclamation,  Lo  !  It 
implies  that  they  would  be  likely  to 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  223 

forget  it.  It  is  intended  to  call  per- 
petual attention  to  it.  No  matter 
how  improbable  it  may  appear,  and 
how  many  other  presences  may  seem 
to  crowd  it  out,  yet  lo  !  I  am  with 
you.  Look  more  closely  and  you  will 
see  Him. 

There  is,  also,  special  emphasis  in 
the  present  tense,  ''I  am  with  you.'^ 
Had  He  said,  "  I  will  be  with  you,"  it 
might  have  implied  a  presence  differ- 
ent from  that  which  they  now  en- 
joyed— that  there  was  to  be  a  break 
in  His  abiding  with  them,  and  then 
a  subsequent  appearing.  But  He 
says,  ^'I  am  with  you."  1  shall  not 
cease  for  a  moment  to  be  with  you. 
I  shall  be  as  truly  with  you  the  mo- 
ment after  my  ascension  as  I  am 


224r  THE   CHRIST   OP 

now  while  I  am  speaking  these  words 
to  you. 

It  would  seem  as  if  this  word  I  am 
had  hidden  in  it  an  allusion  to  the 
Old  Testament  name  which  God  used 
in  speaking  to  Moses  and  sending 
him  forth  to  lead  Israel  from  bondage 
to  freedom.  ' '  Thou  shalt  say  to  them, 
Jam  hath  sent  me  unto  you."  Our 
Lord  means  to  have  us  understand 
that  He  is  the  same  Almighty  One 
who  sent  forth  Moses  to  inaugurate 
the  history  of  Israel — who  is  now 
sending  them  forth  to  inaugurate  the 
history  of  Christianity.  What  a 
blessed  fullness  that  name  suggests! 
It  is  just  an  infinite  blank,  which 
each  of  us  may  fill  up  with  all  we 
need  Him  for.    "  I  am,"  He  says,  and 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  225 

we  may  finish  the  sentence.  Is  it 
health,  ^'I  am  the  Lord  thy  God  that 
healeth  thee."  Is  it  spiritual  life, 
'^I  am  the  Living  Bread."  Is  it 
guidance,  ^'I  am  the  Light  of  the 
world.  He  that  foUoweth  me  shall 
not  walk  in  darkness  but  shall  have 
the  light  of  life." 

And  then  He  tells  us  He  is  with 
us  all  the  days,  not  ^'always"  merely, 
but  '^all  the  days,"  day  by  day,  for 
each  day's  needs  and  duties  as  it 
comes,  suiting  His  help  and  blessing 
to  every  changing  day. 

There  is  one  more  thought  which 
lingers  in  the  Master's  last  words 
with  the  light  of  a  glorious  hope.  It 
is  ^Hhe  end  of  the  age."  It  points  us 
forward  to  the  Second  Coming  of  our 


226  THE   CHRIST   OF 

blessed  Lord.  It  is  very  beautiful  to 
see  the  blending  of  His  departing  and 
His  coming  in  these  words.  Like 
the  Northern  twilight,  which  almost 
meets  the  opening  of  the  dawn,  so 
His  departing  and  the  hope  of  His  re- 
turning blend  in  these  blessed  words. 
Oh,  how  blessed  to  believe  that  the 
dawn  is  near  and  that  already  the  day 
star  has  arisen  in  our  hearts,  and  the 
Presence  that  is  with  us  now  unseen 
is  soon  to  burst  upon  us  in  the  glory 
of  His  appearing  I 


CHAPTEE  VII. 


THE  LAST  MEETING. 


**Ye  shall  receive  power  after  tliat  the 
Holy  Grhost  is  come  upon  you  ;  and  ye  shall 
be  witnesses  unto  me  both  in  Jerusalem, 
and  in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto 
the  uttermost  part  of  the  earth." — Acts 
1:8. 

^HE  scene  of  the  last  two  inter- 
t  views  with  the  Risen  Lord  was 
in  Gahlee.  We  find  Him  now  again 
at  Jerusalem.  There  the  last  of  the 
Forty  Days  w^ere  passed,  and  they 
were  marked^  it  is  probable,  by  many 
interviews,  as  He  taught  them  of 
[he  things  concerning  the  Kingdom 


228  THE   CHRIST  OF 

of  God  with  a  fullness  of  which  John 
says,  '^If  they  should  be  every  one 
written,  I  suppose  that  even  the 
world  itself  could  not  contain  the 
books  that  should  be  written."  Some 
day  we  shall  know  those  unwritten 
words  ;  meanwhile  we  may  be  sure 
that  they  were  sufficient  to  authorize 
all  that  the  Apostles  afterwards 
themselves  did  and  said,  and  that 
while  we  may  not  have  an  actual 
word  of  Christ  for  all  that  we  are 
expected  to  observe,  yet  we  know,  if 
we  have  their  example  for  it,  that 
they  had  a  sufficient  word  from  His 
own  lips.  Thus,  for  example,  the  ob- 
servance of  the  first  day  of  the  week, 
and  many  other  things  for  which  we 
\   have  apostolic  practice  and  example 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  229 

without  explicit  teaching,  were,  no 
doubt,  fully  explained  and  authorized 
in  the  Master's  patient'  and  ample 
teachings. 

At  length  they  meet  for  the  la^t 
time  and  the  interview  is  one  of  great 
importance,  and  the  message  more 
distinct  and  far-reaching  than  any 
that  had  preceded  it. 

I.      THEIR  ERRONEOUS   QUESTION. 

All  through  these  days  they  seem 
to  have  been  expecting  Him  con- 
stantly to  manifest  Himself  in  the 
restoration  of  the  old  theocratic 
kingdom,  and  as, again  and  again,  He 
met  them  and  vanished  without  ful- 
filling their  expectations,  they  talked 
together  and  wondered  why  He  did 


^30  THE   CHRIST   OF 

not  publicly  manifest  Himself  as  the 
promised  and  kingly  Messiah.  Now 
at  length  they  ventured  to  ask  Him, 
''Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time  restore 
again  the  kingdom  of  Israel  ? "  His 
answer  is  a  very  faithful  and  yet 
tender  one.  He  does  not  rebuke 
them  or  even  intimate  that  their  de- 
sire is  wholly  without  foundation  in 
the  purpose  of  God.  He  does  not 
deny  that  He  will  restore  the  king- 
dom to  Israel,  but  He  simply  tiirns 
them  away  from  this  expectation  to 
their  proper  and  present  work,  and 
gently  reminds  them  with  a  shade  of 
reproof ''that  the  times  and  seasons 
are  not  for  them  at  all,  but  reserved 
by  the  Father  in  His  own  power." 
Very  solemnly   does   He  hint   to  us 


THE  FORTY    DAYS  231 

that  there  are  a  great  many  questions 
with  which  we  have  nothing  to  do, 
and  which  are  really  keeping  us  back 
from  our  highest  service  for  Him. 

H.      THE   COMMAND   TO   TARRY  IN 
JERUSALEM. 

Although  He  had  for  them  a  prac- 
tical and  urgent  woi'k  to  do,  yet  even 
this  they  were  not  to  rush  into  un- 
prepared, but  to  tarry  for  Divine 
power  to  fit  them  for  their  great 
calling.  He  meant  them  to  thorough- 
ly understand  that  they  were  utterly 
unfit  in  themselves  for  the  work  to 
which  they  were  called;  that  they 
must  not  attempt  to  do  anything 
until  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
or  they  would  surely  do  it    amiss. 


THE   CHRIST   OF 

And  so,  when  they  began  to  weary 
of  the  ten  days'  waiting,  and,  at 
Peter's  suggestion,  undertook  to  set 
in  motion  the  machinery  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  by  electing  a  new  apostle 
by  lot,  their  premature  work  simply 
came  to  naught,  and  the  Lord  quietly 
ignored  their  chosen  apostle,  and  in 
His  own  time  and  way  called  Saul  of 
Tarsus  to  take  the  vacant  place. 

This  is  a  lesson  that  none  of  us  can 
learn  too  well.  We  are  utterly  un- 
fitted for  the  work  of  Christ  by  mere 
natural  qualifications  and  prepara- 
tion. All  that  we  do  before  we  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Ghost  counts  for  little 
or  nothing.  All  our  intellectual  gifts, 
all  our  stores  of  accumulated  learn- 
ing, all  our  experience  and  practice 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  233 

in  Christian  work  will  prove  but  c^old, 
dead  wood  on  the  altar  of  God  until 
kindled  by  the  heavenly  flame  of 
Pentecost.  There  is,  in  the  structure 
of  the  human  mind,  a  reason  for 
this  tarrying.  It  prepares  the  heart 
for  receiving  the  fullness  of  God.  The 
spirit  of  waiting  is  a  discipline  of 
self- crucifixion  and  stillness,  which 
is  necessary  to  the  deep  and  full  re- 
ception of  the  Divine  influence.  And 
it  is  also  true  that  at  each  successive 
stage  of  our  life  and  work,  and  at 
each  new  departure,  there  must  be  a 
tarrying  for  poAver.  God's  first  word 
to  His  people,  as  to  Israel  of  old, 
always  is,  ''Stand  still  and  see  the 
salvation  of  God,"  and  then  "  Go  for- 
ward," 


234:  THE   CHRIST   OF 

How  long  are  we  to  tarry  ?  Uiiti'' 
we  receive  the  power  from  on  high. 
And  when  we  do  we  shall  not  be  able 
to  tarry  longer,  but  the  fire  in  our 
bones,  like  Jeremiah's^  will  weary 
with  forbearing,  and  burst  allbarriers 
in  testimony  and  service. 

HI.     THE  PROMISE  OF  POWER,  THROUGH 
THE  DESCENT  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST. 

He  had  akeady  spoken  of  His  power 
in  heaven  and  in  earth ;  now  He  tells 
them  of  the  power  in  which  they 
are  to  go  forward  and  do  His  work. 
This  is  a  different  power  from  that 
to  which  He  had  already  referred  in 
connection  with  His  own  person  and 
presence,  for  this  is  to  be  in  them 
and  upon  them  as  a  pers'^^nal  endue- 


THE    FORTY   DAYS  235 

ment.  And  yet  it  was  not  to  be  their 
power,  bat  the  power  of  a  personal 
presence  that  was  to  be  in  them  ;  the 
true  translation  being,  ^'ye  shall  re- 
ceive the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
coming  upon  you."  There  is  a  great 
difference  between  our  receiving 
power  from  the  Holy  Ghost  and  our 
receiving  the  Holy  Ghost  as  our 
power.  In  the  latter  case  we  are  as 
insignificant  and  insufficient  as  ever, 
and  it  is  the  person  who  dwells 
within  us  who  possesses  and  exer- 
cises all  the  gifts  and  powers  of  our 
ministry,  and  only  as  we  abide  in  Him 
and  He  works  in  us  are  we  able  to 
exercise  th's  power. 

The  Lord  thus  introduces  to  tliem 
and  to  us  that  glorious  Person  who 


236  THE   CHRIST   OF 

ever  since  has  been  the  substitute  and 
successor  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  per- 
sonal life  and  work  of  every  believer. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatever  about 
His  meaning  and  the  importance 
attached  to  it.  It  is  of  a  Divine  and 
living  person  He  is  speaking,  a  Pres- 
ence as  mighty  as  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  as  actual  to  us  as  the  presence 
of  Jesus  with  the  disciples  of  old.  The 
Holy  Ghost  has  been  given  to  the 
Church  as  the  present  God  of  the 
Christian  dispensation,  nearer  even 
than  the  Saviour  could  be  to  His 
earthly  companions,  because  He 
dwells  within  our  inmost  being  and 
communicates  directly  with  our  inner- 
most consciousness.  He  is  the  power 
for  all  true  Christian  work,  and  only 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  237 

as  we  are  possessed  and  anointed  by 
Him,  are  we  able  to  accomplish  spirit- 
ual results  that  can  be  acceptable  to 
Him  or  lasting  in  their  results. 

The  book  of  Acts  would  be  the 
best  answer  to  this  question.  We 
need  only  look  at  Peter  as  he  had 
been  a  month  before,  and  Peter  as  he 
was  at  the  day  of  Pentecost,  to  under- 
stand the  promise  and  its  import, 
ance.  It  was  a  power  that  imparted 
such  heroic  courage  and  boldness  that 
the  man  who  fled  from  the  servant 
girl  could  defy  the  whole  Hebrew 
Sanhedrim  and  rejoice  that  he  was 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for 
his  Lord.  It  was  a  power  that  illum- 
inated their  minds  and  enabled  them 
to  understand  with  marvelous  clear- 


2:38  THE   CHRIST   OF 

n ess,  and  expound  with  overwhelm- 
ing conviction,  the  Scriptures  and  the 
Gospel.  Possessed  with  this  power 
Stephen  could  face  the  whole  syna- 
gogue of  the  Cilicians,  and  they  were 
not  ahle  to  resist  the  wisdom  and 
might  with  which  he  spoke.  And  all 
the  sermons  recorded  in  the  Acts  of 
the  Apostles  are  marked  by  the  most 
marv^elous  depth  and  fullness  of  scrip- 
tural teaching  and  spiritual  truth. 

It  was  a  power  that  inspired  them 
with  overcoming  faith  to  claim  the 
promises  of  God  in  all  their  omnipo- 
tence, and  trust  Him  amid  all  situa- 
tions of  need  and  danger,  for  His  super- 
natural working.  It  was  power  to 
understand  the  will  of  God  and  know 
His  guidance  and  follow  His  plan  in 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  239 

founding  the  Church  of  Christ  on 
earth  and  fulfilhng  their  various  min- 
istries. It  was  the  power  of  love  that 
made  all  their  hearts  one.  It  was  the 
power  of  patient  suffering  which  en- 
abled Stephen  and  others  to  face  their 
persecutors  with  a  spirit  that  turned 
oven  their  blood  into  a  mightier  wit- 
ness for  God  than  all  their  words  or 
deeds.  It  was  the  power  to  produce 
conviction  and  conversion  in  the 
hearts  of  men,  the  power  that  made 
men  feel  their  sins  and  realize  their 
need  of  a  Saviour  and  accept  Him. 
It  was  the  power  of  supernatural  and 
miraculous  working  that  could  rise 
above  the  laws  of  nature  and  the 
powers  of  disease  and  demoniacal 
possession,  and  work  in  the  name  of 


240  THE   CHRIST   OF 

Jesus  as  Jesus  Himself  had  worked. 
And  it  was  the  power  that  brought 
the  providence  of  God  to  work  upon 
their  side,  controUing  the  elements  of 
nature,  and  the  great  movements  of 
human  life,  so  as  to  advance  the  King- 
dom of  their  Eisen  Lord. 

That  blessed  Holy  Spirit  is  still  the 
same  unchanging  power,  and  willing, 
in  all  our  hearts,  to  work  with  His 
ancient  might  if  He  can  find  a  vessel 
empty,  cleansed  and  yielded,  which 
will  be  fully  responsive  to  His  touch 
and  will.  Oh,  let  us  tarry  until  we 
be  endued  with  His  power  ;  and  then 
at  each  new  step  let  us  tarry  until  we 
go  forth  in  Him  and  in  His  perfect 
will  and  power  1 


THE  FORTY  DAYS       241 
IV.  THE  PURPOSE  OF  THIS  ENDUEMENT. 

"  Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me." 
This  word  happily  describes  the  work 
to  which  Christ  calls  His  disciples.  It 
is  not  to  be  the  founders  of  sects  and 
systems  of  theology,  not  to  be  wit- 
nesses of  great  principles  and  truths, 
but  to  be  witnesses  unto  Him,  to  make 
Christ  real  to  the  consciences  of  men. 
Of  course,  He  must  be  real  to  us  first, 
for  the  witness  can  only  tell  what  he 
himself  knows.  This  was  ever  the 
great  theme  of  apostolic  testimony, 
and  as  we  go  back  to  it  in  these  last 
days  more  fully,  we  shall  see  the 
spirit  of  primitive  piety  revived.  The 
church  has  too  often  been  a  great  the- 
ological seminary  rather  than  a  place 
of  simple  testimony  and  the  revela- 


242  THE   CHRIST  OF 

tion  and  lifting  up  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Notice,  how  in  all  their  addresses 
which  are  recorded,  they  invariably 
tell  the  whole  story  of  Jesus  !  The 
words  may  be  brief  and  few,  but  the 
story  is  all  told  :  His  incarnation,  His 
earthly  ministry,  His  works  of  love, 
His  Mediatorial  reign.  His  coming 
again,  His  readiness  to  receive  and 
save  sinful  men. 

Some  one  has  humorously  said  that 
the  word ' '  exegesis  "  might  be  slightly 
transposed  to  read  ''  Exit  Jesus  ; "  and 
certainly  a  good  deal  of  preaching  is 
this  sort  of  exegesis  ;  but  no  messen- 
ger who,  with  a  loving  heart,  goes 
forth  to  tell  about  Jesus  and  make 
Him  real  to  sinful  men  will  ever  re- 
turn with  empty  hands.     This  is  the 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  243 

testimony  God  will  bless.  He  wants 
it  from  our  lips  and  He  wants  it  from 
our  lives ;  He  wants  us  so  to  speak 
and  so  to  live  that  men  shall  be  con- 
scious, not  of  ourselves  or  of  our 
words,  but  of  some  One  behind  us 
whom  they  recognize  by  our  testi- 
mony as  the  source  of  all  our  life,  and 
the  One  who  is  just  as  willing  to  im- 
part the  same  blessing  to  them. 

Beloved,  are  we  so  witnessing  to 
Him  as  we  move  among  men  or  min- 
ister to  othersj  Are  we  "  a  savor  of 
Christ  to  them  that  believe  and  even 
unto  them  that  perish  ?  " 

V.   THE  SCOPE  OF  THEIR. MINISTRY. 

Their  field  was  to  be  the  world. 
Their   plan    of    campaign  was  dis- 


244:  THE   CHRIST  OF 

tinctly  outlined.  They  were  to  begin 
at  Jerusalem  ;  to  extend  their  work 
among  the  scattered  Jews  through 
all  Judea;  to  reach  out,  next,  to  Sa- 
maria, an  intermediate  race,  kindred 
but  not  one  with  them  ;  and  then 
they  were  to  embrace  the  entire  Gen- 
tile world  and  carry  the  Gospel  to  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  Their 
commission,  therefore,  includes  the 
whole  work  of  Home  and  Foreign 
Missions,  and  most  faithfully  did 
they  fulfill  it.  The  Book  of  Acts  is 
the  best  commentary  on  this  verse, 
as  it  records  the  planting  of  the 
church  at  Jerusalem,  through  Peter, 
James,  John  and  Stephen  ;  the  min- 
istry of  Peter  and  others  to  the 
scattered  Jews ;  the  work  of  Philip 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  245 

and  others  in  Samaria ;  and  then 
closes  with  the  splendid  sketch  of  the 
planting  of  Christianity  and  the  in- 
augurating of  the  great  work  of  for- 
eign missions  through  the  lips  of 
Philip,  Peter,  and  especially  Paul  and 
Barnabas.  The  larger  part  of  the 
book  is  occupied  with  this  last  sec- 
tion, the  Gospel  among  the  Gentiles, 
and  over  every  section  and  .every 
stage  of  this  four-fold  campaign,  the 
Master's  promise  seems  to  hover  as  a 
cloud  of  glory,  ^'Ye  shall  receive 
power  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto 
me." 

So  it  was  in  Jerusalem,  so  it  was 
in  Judea,  so  it  was  in  Samaria,  and 
so  it  was  in  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth.       At    every    stage    of    their 


246  THE   CHRIST  OF 

wondrous  work  it  was  manifest  that 
the  work  was  supernatural  and  Di- 
vine. The  power  of  God  was  con- 
stantly manifested  in  it,  and  His 
wonderful  direction,  protection,  in- 
terposition and  blessing  marked  every 
page  of  the  Book  of  Acts  and  every 
step  of  their  glorious  work. 

1.  Glance  for  a  moment  at  their 
work  in  Jerusalem.  How  marvel- 
ously  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
came  upon  them  !  How  simply  and 
faithfully  they  witnessed  unto  Him 
before  the  multitudes  at  Pentecost, 
before  the  Sanhedrim  on  trial,  before 
the  cripple  at  the  temple  gate  and  the 
crowds  that  gazed  upon  his  healing  ! 
How  wonderfully  God  crowned  their 
work  with    His  power  ;  the  power 


THE  t^ORTY  DAYS  24t 

that  came  in  the  tongues  at  Pente- 
cost ;  the  power  that  carried  Peter's 
sermon  home  to  the  hearts  of  three 
thousand  men  and  the  multitudes 
that  followed  in  the  same  work  of 
faith  ;  the  power  that  smote  the  false 
Ananias  and  Sapphira  ;  the  power 
that  rendered  their  persecutors  power- 
less to  gainsay  their  words;  the  power 
that  gathered  the  multitudes  by  thou- 
sands into  the  infant  church ;  the 
greater  power  that  fused  their  hearts 
into  a  holy  oneness  and  melted  down 
all  selfishness  and  worldliness  in  a 
heavenly  flame  of  love  and  consecra- 
tion ;  the  power  that  enabled 
Stephen  to  speak  to  the  learned  and 
practised  sophists  of  the  synagogue 
of     Cilicia    with     a    might    which 


248  THE   CHRIST   OF 

they  could  not  gainsay  ;  and  then 
the  power  that  enabled  him  to 
meet  their  murderous  hate  with  a 
face  like  an  angel  and  a  fortitude  and 
love  so  sublime  that  the  victory  of 
his  death  was  mightier  than  all  the 
triumphs  of  his  life,  and  the  very 
man  who  had  been  chief  witness 
against  him  was  turned  to  God  by 
his  martyrdom  and  his  dying  prayer. 
And  so  the  whole  story  of  the 
planting  of  the  church  in  Jerusalem 
was  the  story  of  the  power  of  the , 
Holy  Ghost,  and  the  testimony  of 
Jesus  through  the  lips  of  weak  and 
humble  instruments.  The  same 
power  is  still  ready  to  crown  our 
labors  with  success  and  establish 
Christ's  kingdom  in  our  midst. 


THE   FORTY  BAYS  249 

2.  The  same  supernatural  presence 
and  power  may  be  traced  in  the  next 
stage  of  their  work, — the  witnessing 
for  Jesus  through  all  Judea.  The 
record  of  this  work  is  chiefly  con- 
nected witli  Peter.  The  story. of  his 
labors  at  Lydda  and  Joppa  is  but  a 
specimen  page  from  the  unpublished 
book  of  God's  remembrance.  The 
healing  ef  Eneas  and  the  raising  of 
Dorcas  from  the  dead  were  not  only 
mighty  and  majestic, — the  mightiest 
in  the  apostolic  story — but  were  fol- 
lowed by  still  mightier  results  in  the 
conversion  of  multitudes  of  whom 
we  are  told  that  ^'all  that  dwelt  at 
Lydda  and  Saron  saw  him  and  turned 
to  the  Lord  ; ''  and  of  Dorcas'  restora- 
tion it  is  said,  ''  it  was  known  through 


250  THE  CHRIST  OF 

all  Joppa,  and  many  believed  in  fhe 
Lord."  We  do  not  know  from  the 
sacred  narrative  of  all  Peter's  labors, 
but  doubtless  he  carried  the  Gospel, 
along  with  others,  through  all  parts 
of  Pakstine,  and  it  seems  certain  that 
he  afterwards  visited  Babylon  and 
other  places  outside  of  Palestine 
where  great  numbers  of  his  country- 
men resided.  'We  also  know  that 
Paul  always  presented  Christ  to  tlie 
Jews  wherever  he  went,  and  the  little 
synagogue  in  every  place  became  the 
nucleus  and  starting  point  for  the  en- 
tire community.  God  often  worked 
wondrously  among  His  own  chosen 
people  before  their  brethren  so  re- 
jected the  truth  that  the  apostles  had 
to  turn  to  the  Gentiles. 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  251 

8.  The  Gospel  in  Samaiia  was 
planted  and  established  through  the 
mighty  power  of  God  and  the  wit- 
nessing of  Jesns.  The  simple  story 
is  given  in  Acts  viii  :  5,  6:  '' Philip 
went  down  to  the  city  of  Samaria 
and  preached  Christ  unto  them,  and 
the  people  with  one  accord  gave  heed 
to  the  things  which  Phihp  spoke, 
hearing  and  seeing  the  miracles  which 
he  did."  The  whole  community 
seemed  moved  with  one  accord,  and 
even  Simon  Magus,  the  wicked  leader 
of  a  Satanic  ring  of  sorcerers  and 
magicians,  himself  had  to  yield  to 
the  transcendent  power  of  Jesus' 
name.  We  cannot  withhold  our  at- 
tention from  the  fact  that  in  all  this 
new  aggressive  moment  of  Christian- 


*J5!;i  THE  CHRIST  OP 

ity  tlie  Lord  Jesus  sealed  His  word 
with  signs  and  wonders  ;  and  wo  cer- 
tainly have  a  right  to  expect  such 
manifestations  in  every  new  stage  of 
Christian  work  to-day,  as  well  as  such 
other  times  as  His  glory  and  truth 
require  the  special  manifestation  of 
His  almighty  presence. 

But  it  was  not  the  miracles  that 
established  Christ ianity  ;  they  simply . 
awakened  the  attention  and  secured 
the  confidence  of  the  people  ;  and 
then  it  was  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  the  simple  preaching  of 
Jesus  which  brought  the  spiritual 
results  in  every  case.  It  is  most 
marked  that  after  the  acceptance  of 
the  testimony  of  Jesus  there  was  a 
personal  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost 


THE    FORTY  DAYS  253 

upon  the  converts,  bringing  to  them 
the  actual  and  conscious  experience 
of  the  Lord's  presence  and  the  salva- 
tion which  they  had  claimed,  and 
being  to  them  an  evidence  which  all 
the  reasonings  of  man  could  never 
gainsay  and  from  wliich  all  the  in- 
timidations of  persecution  could  not 
move  them. 

4.  But  the  great  work  of  the  apostles 
was  to  be  the  planting  of  Christianity 
among  the  Gentiles  and  the  witness- 
ing of  Jesus  to  the  uttermost  part 
of  the  earth.  At  a  very  early  period 
in  the  Book  of  Acts  we  find  the 
Holy  Spirit  leading  out  into  the  great 
work  of  missions.  First,  we  have 
the  call  of  Philip  from  his  work  in 
Samaria  to  meet  the  Ethiopian  eunuch 


264  THE   CHRIST   OF 

in  the  desert  of  Gaza.  And  this  is  as 
supernatural  and  marvelous  as  any 
of  the  steps  that  we  have  already 
traced^  for  over  every  step  the  mes- 
sage seems  to  re-echo,  "  Ye  shall  re- 
ceive power  after  that  the  Holy 
.Ghost  is  come  upon  you  and  ye  shall 
be  witnesses  unto  me."  It  is  the 
Spirit's  call  that  sends  him.  It  was 
a  strange  message.  He  was  busy  at 
Pamaria  and  the  work  never  seemed 
so  promising.  But  the  call  was  im- 
perative to  leave  this  fruitful  field 
and  go  down  into  a  desert.  It  seemed 
the  most  unlikely  place  in  the  world 
to  find  work  for  Christ,  or  results 
that  could  repay  such  a  sacrifice  of 
time  and  labor,  but  he  simply  obeyed 
and  went. 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  255 

Let  us  remember,  beloved,  that 
this  was  the  founding  of  Christian 
missions,  the  first  page  in  the  wonder- 
ful chapter  of  the  world's  evangeliza- 
tion, and  the  pattern,  therefore,  for 
our  missionary  call.  And,  therefore, 
if  we  have  received  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  are  called  to  the 
world's  evangelization,  the  summons 
will  most  likely  come  when  we  are 
otherwise  occupied  with  work  which 
it  seems  we  must  not  leave.  The 
call  may  summon  us  to  what  may 
seem  a  spiritual  wilderness,  and  the 
wasting  of  our  energies  upon  a  bar- 
ren desert,  as  would  seem  to  be  the 
prospect  for  many  a  missionary  who 
is  plunging  to-day  into  the  heart  of 
Africa  or  the  remote  regions  of  China. 


256  THE   CHRIST   OF 

But  lo,  as  he  obeys,  the  desert  be- 
comes ahve  with  the  presence  of 
God  and  the  working  of  His  mighty 
Providence.  The  prince  of  Ethiopia 
with  all  his  train,  at  this  very  mo- 
ment, is  returning  to  his  land,  hun- 
gry, sad  and  disappointed  because  he 
has  not  found  the  answer  to  his 
heart's  deep  questions,  or  the  hght  he 
is  seeking  upon  the  strange  book  he 
holds  in  his  hands  without  being  able 
to  break  the  seal.  The  Spirit's  work 
is  not  left  half  done.  The  message 
''Go,  join  thyself  to  his  chariot,"  is 
quickly  obeyed ;  and  lo,  a  soul  is 
saved,  a  new  voice  consecrated,  and 
no  doubt  a  mighty  work  of  evangel- 
ization begun  for  the  great  continent 
to  which  the  prince  was  just  return- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  25Y 

[ng.  And  then,  lest  man  should  have 
too  much  to  do  with  it,  Philip  is 
instantly  caught  away  and  the  eunuch 
goes  on  his  way  rejoicing,  satisfied 
with  His  Master's  presence  and  filled 
with  the  same  Holy  Spirit  which  had 
led  Philip  to  him. 

So  the  first  Gentile  convert  was  an 
African,  and  the  first  missionary  to 
Africa  was  a  native,  and  the  power 
which  brought  it  all  about  was  the 
simple  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
the  ascended  Christ,  working  in 
methods  and  through  instrumentali- 
ties which  seemed  weakness  in  them- 
selves but  which  became  mighty 
through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of 
strongholds.  So  still  we  may  expect 
His  power  to  direct  and  confirm  our 


258  THE   CHRIST  OF 

efforts  in  His  name  to  evangelize  a 
lost  world,  as  we  dare  to  obey  every 
call  of  the  Spii-^fc  in  humble  obedience 
and  simple  faith. 

The  next  chapter  in  Gentile  Chris- 
tianity is  no  less  marked  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  the 
story  of  Peter  and  Cornelius.  First, 
we  see  the  Holy  Spirit  leading  Peter 
aside  for  prayer, and  then  giving  him 
a  vision  which  prepared  him  to  break 
through  the  old  ceremonial  barriers 
of  Judaism  and  go  among  the  Gen- 
tiles with  the  gospel.  Next,  we  see 
the  same  Spirit  working  at  that  very 
moment  in  the  heart  of  Cornelius 
and  bidding  him  to  send  for  Peter  ; 
and  then  we  see  the  Spirit  and  the 
providence    of    God    operating    to- 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  259 

gether,  as  the  messenger  calls  at 
Simon's  house  at  the  very  moment 
that  the  Spirit  has  prepared  him  for 
the  message.  And  then,  as  he  obeys, 
like  Philip,  and  simply  goes  with  the 
men  to  Joppa,  we  cannot  fail  to  trace 
the  wonderful  w^orking  of  God  which 
had  prepared  the  mind  of  this  in- 
fluential Roman  for  the  gospel,  by 
all  his  previous  history.  So  God  is 
preparing  the  hearts  of  heathen  men 
to-day  and  giving  them  a  hunger, 
which  they  do  not  understand,  but 
which  will  make  the  gospel  welcome 
to  them  when,  at  last,  the  messenger 
of  Jesus  reaches  their  land. 

The  message  of  Peter  is  true  to  the 
apostohc  commission.  He  simply 
witnesses  of  Jesus.     It  is  a  wonder- 


2G0  THE  CHRIST  OF 

ful  message, and  tells  the  whole  story 
of  the  gospel  in  as  few  words  as 
were  ever  compressed  into  so  short  a 
space.  It  is  the  story  of  His  life,  of 
His  death,  of  His  Eesurrection,  of 
His  Second  Coming  and  of  His  gra- 
cious message  of  forgiveness  and 
salvation  to  all  who  believe  on  His 
name.  And  as  the  witness  was  sim- 
ply given,  the  Holy  Spirit  finished 
the  work  and  fell  upon  the  people  in 
Pentecostal  power.  And  so  this 
might  be  called  the  second  Pentecost 
and  the  inauguration  of  Gentile 
Christianity,  in  correspondence  with 
the  planting  of  the  church  in  Jeru- 
salem. Here  we  have  again  a  pattern 
chapter  from  the  story  of  the  early 
church,  and  why  may  not  we  expect 


THE   FORTY    DAYS  261 

the  same  mighty  power  to  direct  and 
confirm  our  work  for  the  evangehza- 
tion  of  the  world,  as  we  depend  upon 
.the  same  Holy  Ghost  ? 

The  next  great  step  in  witnessing 
for  Jesus  to  the  uttermost  part  of 
the  earth  was  the  establishment  of 
the  work  in  Antioch.  It  was  neces- 
sary that  there  should  be  a  new 
centre  for  Gentile  missions.  The 
church  at  Jerusalem  was  too  cod- 
servaj}ive  and  too  much  bound  by  the 
traditions  of  the  past  to  be  adjust- 
able in  the  hands  of  God  for  so  bold 
and  world-wide  a  work,  and  there- 
fore the  Holy  Spirit  called  together, 
in  the  most  simple  and  spontaneous 
manner,  a  company  of  simple-hearted 
cosmopolitan  believers,  free  from  all 


262  THE  CHRIST  OF 

narrow  bigotries  and  exclusive  views, 
many  of  them  laymen,  most  of  them 
provincial  Jews  or  Gentiles,  and  rep- 
resenting all  social  stations,  from 
Simeon,  the  African,  to  Manaen,  a 
courtier  in  Herod's  family,  Barnabas, 
the  princely  and  generous  man  of 
wealth,  and  Saul  of  Tarsus,  the  cul- 
tivated and  profound  philosopher  and 
scholar.  They  had  just  the  elements 
to  form  a  church  of  the  largest  sym- 
pathies and  the  most  world-wide 
adaptations.  And  so,  without  apos- 
tolic hands  or  ecclesiastical  agency, 
they  just  grew  into  a  mother  church, 
until  the  apostles'  hearing  of  it,  sent 
the  right  man  to  dev^elop  without 
dwarfing  them — the  noble-hearted 
Barnabas — and  ere  long  a  new  Jeru- 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  263 

salem  has  grown  up  in  Syria,  which 
God  is  henceforth  to  use  as  the 
mother  of  Gentile  missions,  and  the 
spring  from  which  the  waters  of  hf e 
shall  flow  forth  to  the  uttermost  part 
of  the  earth. 

And  so  to-day,  it  does  seem 
that  God  is  preparing  new  centres 
for  foieign  mission  work.  Tenderly, 
but  boldly,  we  are  constrained  to  say 
that  the  ecclesiastical  lines  of  our  day 
have  grown  so  rigid  and  the  machin- 
ery of  Christian  work  so  elaborate  and 
conservative  that  they  have  ceased  to 
be  fully  adjustable  to  the  world's  great 
needs.  Missionaries  sent  forth  from 
such  atmospheres  carry  with  them  to 
the  foreign  field  the  cornplexion  of 
the    home    church,    and    reproduce 


264  THE  CHRIST  OF 

abroad  the  features  which,  in  the 
church  at  home,  neutrahze  her  high- 
est usefulness.  And  therefore  God, 
in  these  last  days,  is  gathering  a  great 
number  of  His  consecrated  children 
in  all  the  churches  into  closer  fellow- 
ship in  Him,  and  from  their  midst  is 
sending  forth  new  missionary  move- 
ments, undenominational,  independ- 
ent, simple  and  spiritual,  which  will 
carry  to  the  heathen  world  the  spirit 
of  separation  from  the  world,  holiness 
of  heart  and  life,  entire  consecration, 
self-sacrifice  and  simplicity  in  Chris- 
tian living,  and  a  full  belief  in  the 
supernatural  power  of  God  and  in  the 
speedy  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  all  of  which  must  bring  about 
a  new  phase  of  missionary  life  and 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  265 

work,  and  a  corresponding  seal  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  upon  the  work  and  the 
workers. 

Such,  indeed,  has  been  the  case,  and 
to-day  scores  and  even  hundreds  of 
such  workers,  sent  forth  by  no  ecclesi- 
astical body  but  by  warm-hearted  cir- 
cles of  consecrated  men  and  women 
at  home,  are  laboring,  in  the  power 
of  God,  in  many  of  the  fields  of  Afri- 
ca and  China.  Indeed,  most  of  the 
effective  missionary  work  of  our  time 
has  sprung  from  such  centres.  The 
time  has  gone  by  for  elaborate  eccle- 
siastical missionary  movements.  We 
are  in  the  day  of  spontaneous  and  sim- 
ple Christian  effort  under  the  direct 
superintendence  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  through  men  and  women  who 


266  THE   CHRIST    OF 

are  wholly  baptized  with  His  power. 
We  believe  most  solemnly  that  the 
great  movement  to-day,  which  is  call- 
ing together  the  consecrated  children 
of  God  in  every  land  in  a  closer  fellow- 
ship of  holiness  and  deeper  spiritual 
life,  is  just  the  prej)aration  of  new 
missionary  centres  which  are  to  cover 
the  world  before  the  close  of  the  de- 
cade with  an  army  of  simple  self-deny- 
ing messengers  through  whom  the 
whole  world  will  be  evangelized  and 
the  coming  of  our  Master  hastened 

The  last  great  agency  in  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  world  was  the  calling 
of  Saul  of  Tarsus  and  his  wonderful 
missionary  life  and  work.  Surely, 
above  all  else  in  the  book  of  Acts  this 
is  an  expression  of  the  power  of  the 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  267 

Holy  Ghost.  It  was  His  power  that 
called  him  on  his  way  to  Damascus, 
in  a  moment,  to  his  Master's  feet.  It 
was  His  power  that  sent  him  forth  as 
a  minister  and  a  witness,  and  clothed 
his  hps  and  illuminated  his  mind 
with  such  marvelous  messages  and 
conceptions  of  the  gospel.  It  was 
this  power  which  trained  him  for  his 
work  alone  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia 
and  taught  his  inmost  spirit  the  se- 
cret of  the  Lord.  It  was  the  Holy 
Ghost  who  called  him  to  his  great 
missionary  work,  and  who  went  forth 
with  him  into  it  at  every  stage  as  the 
directing  presence  and  enduing  might 
of  his  own  ministry.  Mightily  He 
stood  by  him  in  Cyprus  as  he  con- 
fronted   Elymas    the    sorcerer    and 


268  THE   CHRIST  OF 

claimed  the  soul  of  the  governor  foi 
God.  Mightily  He  vindicated  His 
servant  in  the  heathen  mob  of  Derbe 
and  Lystra  as  He  healed  the  cripple 
and  then  raised  up  the  apostle  him- 
self from  the  heap  of  stones,  healed 
him  of  his  bruises,  and  sent  him  forth 
to  finish  his  work.  Mightily  he 
opened  the  hearts  of  the  tribes  in 
Asia  Minor  to  receive  the  gospel,  and 
enabled  him  to  plant  the  churches  of 
Asia  which  afterward  became  such 
centres  of  life  and  power.  With  un- 
erring wisdom  and  a  strong  Hand, 
that  Holy  Presence  guided  him  in  all 
his  plans,  held  him  back  irresistibly 
from  Bithynia  and  Ephesus,  and  sent 
him  over  into  Macedonia  to  commence 
his  great  crusade  in  the  new  continent 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  209 

which  was  afterwards  to  become  the 
chief  theatre  of  Gentile  Christianity. 
How  supernaturally  and  trium- 
phantly the  Lord  carried  his  servant 
through  the  perils  of  the  Philippian 
mob,  opened  the  soul  of  Lydia  and 
broke  the  heart  of  the  jailer  !  How 
gloriously  He  defended  him  at  Cor- 
inth from  the  fierce  and  teacherous 
foes  who  sought  to  destroy  him,  and 
gave  free  course  to  the  gospel  in  that 
great  metropolis  of  business  and  of 
sin  !  How  divinely  He  led  him  at  the 
right  moment  to  the  Oriental  capital, 
Ephesus,  and  gave  him  his  splendid 
triumphs  there  over  the  might  of  Sa- 
tanic power,  and  established  the  great 
church  which  was  afterwards  to  be 
the  home    of    Timothy  and    John! 


270  THE  CHRIST  OF 

How  gloriously  He  led  him  forth  to 
Jerusalem  and  Eome,and  carried  him 
through  all  the  perils  of  waters  and 
of  treacherous  foes,  until  at  last  He 
enabled  him,  from  a  prisoner's  chain 
in  the  Roman  barracks,  to  so  preach 
the  Gospel  that  the  mighty  Roman 
empire  was  shaken  to  its  foundations, 
and  before  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years  had  passed,  was  wholly  turned 
to  Christianity. 

The  great  truth  that  we  feel  im- 
pressed to  reiterate  and  emphasize, 
and  which  seems  to  shine  out  from 
our  Master's  message  to  His  disciples, 
is  that  the  work  of  the  Apostolic 
Church  was  to  be  supernatural  and 
divine  ;  and  at  every  stage,  the  Mas- 
ter kept  His  promise  literally  and 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  271 

gloriously  a^s  they  met  His  simple  con- 
ditions, ' '  Ye  ^hall  receive  power  after 
that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you 
and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  for  me." 
The  men  themselves  were  as  weak  as 
we;  the  difficulties  of  their  work  far 
greater  than  our  own.  All  the  ad- 
vantages of  modern  civihzation  and 
the  means  of  transit  to  every  portion 
of  the  world  were  wanting  in  their 
case;  and  yet,  notwithstanding  all,  as 
they  went  forth  in  their  weakness 
and  simple  fidelity  to  the  Master's 
work,  the  cloud  of  His  Presence  was 
as  manifest  as  in  the  days  of  Moses 
or  the  campaignti^i  of  Joshua. 

Why  should  it  ^jver  have  ceased  to 
be?  Why  should  it  not  be  restored 
again?    Hais  thui   living  energy  de- 


272  THE   CHRIST   OF 

parted  from  the  promise  ?  Has  the 
Son  of  God  grown  old?  Has  His 
power  or  His  wisdom  decayed  ?  Is 
the  Holy  Ghost  exhausted  with  the 
centuries  that  have  drained  the  ocean 
of  His  love  and  power  ?  Or  is  He  not 
waiting  for  the  opportunity  to  mani- 
fest His  presence  and  His  might,  and 
longing  only  for  instruments  and  ves- 
sels through  whom  He  can  work  with 
such  simplicity  that  Christ  can  have 
all  the  glory,  and  that  men  shall  see, 
not  the  workers,  but  the  power  that 
worketh  in  them  ?  Oh,  that  w^e  may 
tarry  long  enough  to  get  right  with 
Him,  and  then  go  forth  until  He 
come  in  His  glorious  exaltation, 
and  in  His  mighty  Name  and  power, 
and,  perhaps,  before  our  tarrying  is 


THE  FORTY  DAY^         '       273 

over,  some  of  us  will  find  that  we 
have  been  working  without  our  ar- 
mor and  that  we  do  not  yet  even 
know  the  Holy  Ghost. 


CHAPTEE  VIII. 


THE   ASCENSION. 


And  when  He  had  spoken  these  things, 
while  they  beheld,  He  was  taken  up  ;  and 
a  cloud  received  Him  out  of  their  sight. 
Acts  i :  9. 

fHE  last  hour  has  at  length  come. 
The  forty  days  are  ending.  He  who 
has  lingered  so  tenderly  on  the  thres- 
hold of  earth  is  i  eady  to  depart  upon 
that- journey  from  which,  some  day, 
we  shall  see  Him  return.  Tenderly 
has  He  chosen  the  sacred  spot  on 
which  He  shall  last  look — the  little 
liome  of  Bethany.  Tenderly  perhaps 
has  He  said  farewell  to  its  little  home 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  2Y5 

circle;  or,  it  may  be,  they  are  in  the 
company  of  His  disciples  this  hour. 
He  has  just  finished  His  last  message. 
The  sounds  are  lingering  upon  their 
ear,  ''to  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth,"  whenlo!  His  form  begins  to 
rise.  Not  as  before  does  He  vanish  in- 
to the  impalpable  air,  but  visibly,  dis- 
tinctly, does  He  ascend  before  their 
eyes,  gently  borne  upward  without 
an  effort.  As  He  rises  His  hands  are 
still  extended  in  the  benediction 
which  He  has  just  pronounced  upon 
their  heads.  His  face  is  lighted  up 
with  tenderest  love,  and  His  gaze  is 
fixed  no  doubt  upon  each  in  turn, 
with  one  personal  and  penetrating 
look  of  recognition  and  farewell 
which     they    never     shall    forget- 


276  THE   CHRIST   OF 

Higher  and  higher  He  ascends,  while 
they  gaze  as  though  they  would  go 
with  Him  if  they  could,  until  the 
strain  is  broken  by  a  soft  cloud,  w^hich 
floats  between  and  hides  Him  from 
their  view.     But  still  the  cloud  as- 
cends and   still   they  gaze  upon  it, 
until  a  voice  awakens    them  from 
their  absorbing  view,  and  two  angels, 
by  their  side,  gently  recall  them  to 
earth  as  they  leave  His  last  message, 
^' Ye  men  of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye 
/    gazing  up  into  heaven  ?    This  same\ 
/     Jesus,  which  is  taken  up  from  you   \ 
I      into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in  like     j 
(      manner  as  ye  have  seen  him  go  into     / 
'.    heaven."    •  ^ 

\^  It  is  past !    The  cloud  has  gone, 
the  angels  have  departed,  and  slowly 


THE    FORTY     DAYS  ^11 

and  solemnly  they  return  to  Jerusa- 
lem and  wait  for  the  next  great  chap- 
ter of  Christianity—  the  descent  of  the 
Holy  Ghost; 

The  scene  which  they  had  been  be- 
holding is  the  theme  of  many  an  in- 
spired picture.  Two  other  allusions 
are  made  to  it  in  the  Gospels.  Luke 
himself  refers  to  it  in  the  closing 
verses  of  his  Gospel  with  some  fur- 
ther details:  ^'He  led  them  out  as 
far  as  Bethany,  and  He  lifted  up  His 
hands  and  blessed  them.  /And  it  came 
to  pass  while  He  blessed  them,  He  was 
parted  from  them,  and  carried  up  into 
heaven.  And  they  worshipped  Him, 
and  returned  to  Jerusalem  with  great 
jjoy."  Mark  tells  us  that  '^  He  was 
received  up  into  heaven,  and  sat  on 


278  THE   CHRIST  OP 

the  right  hand  of  God.  And  they 
went  forth  and  preached  everywhere, 
the  Lord  working  with  them  and  con- 
firming the  word  with  signs  follow- 
ing." Some  of  the  Messianic  Psalms 
have  shed  a  glorious  light  on  the  facts 
of  His  Ascension.  The  twenty-fourth 
Psalm  sounds  like  a  responsive  chorus 
especially  prepared  for  the  angelic 
choirs  that  accompanied  His  Ascen- 
sion ;  the  processional  choir  demand- 
ing as  they  approach  the  celestial 
portals,  '^Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye 
gates  ;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  ever- 
lasting doors  ;  and  the  King  of  glory 
shall  come  in,"  while  the  chorus 
standing  at  the  heavenly  gates  re- 
spond, ''Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ? " 
and  the  ans  werijig  shout  breaks  forth^ 


'HIE   FORTY  DAYS  279 

("  The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  The 
Lord  mighty  in  battle.^  Lift  up  your 
heads,  O  ye  gates;  even  hft  toem  up, 
ye  everlasting  doors^aud  the  King  of 
glory  shall  come  in/'  The  sixty - 
eighth  Psalm  tells  us  of  the  chariots 
of  God  and  the  twenty  thousand 
angels  that  accompanied  His  Ascen- 
sion, and  then  it  gives  us  the  picture 
of  the  long  procession  of  rescued  cap- 
tives from  the  prisons  of  Sheol,  who 
followed  His  triumphal  march  and 
entered  as  the  first  company  of  ran- 
;  somed  from  the  ranks  of  the  Old 
:  Testment  believers,  into  the  open 
heavens.  Other  conquerors  marched 
in  triumph  with  their  captives 
dragged  behind,  but  the  only  cap- 
tives that  graced  His  gloi-ious  ascent 


280  THE   CHRIST  OF 

were  those  that  He  Himself  had  set 
at  hberty. 

And  then  the  Psalm  tells  its 
of  His  Ascension  on  high  and  His 
receiving  gifts  for  men  that  the  Lord 
Jehovah  might  dwell  among  them, 
which  was  fulfilled  in  the  mighty 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  the  abid- 
ing presence  of  God  with  His  peo- 
ple in  the  Christian  dispensation, 
through  Christ's  ascension.  The 
New  Testament  is  full  of  this  theme. 
Peter  tells  the  multiudes  at  Pente- 
cost that  "Christ -hath  received  of 
the  Father  honor  and  gloiy,  and  being- 
exalted  to  His  right  hand  hath  shed 
forth  the  Holy  Spirit."  And  again 
he  speaks  of  His  ascension,  "  Whom 
the  heavens  must  receive  until  the 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  v    281 

times  of  the  restitution  of  a.11  things." 
Paul,  again  and  again,  refers  to  it  in 
his  epistles.  In  Romans  viii  he  says, 
>^  It  is  Christ  that  died  ;  yea,  rather  j 
/  that  has  risen  again,  who  is  even  at/ 
the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  mak-/ 
eth  intercession  for  us."  In  1  Cor/ 
xv: ''  He  must  reign  until  all  His  ene- 
mies are  made  His  footstool."  In 
Ephesians,  chapter  i.  He  prays  that 
the  disciples  may  know  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  His  power  who  raised 
Christ  from  the  dead  and  set  Him  at 
His  own  right  hand  in  the  heavenly 
places,  far  above  all  principality,  and 
power,  and  might,  and  dominion,  and 
every  name  that  is  named,  not  only 
in  this  world,  but  also  that  which  is 
to  come  J  and  hath  |>ut  all  things  un- 


282  THE   CHRIST   07' 

der  His  feet,  and  gave  Him  to  be  the 
Head  over  all  things  to  the  church, 
which  is  His  body,  the  tuVLiik-SH  of 
Him  that  filleth  all  in  all. 

He  tells  the  Colossians  that  they 
are  '^  risen  with  Christ,  and  they  are 
to  seek  those  things  that  are  above, 
where  Christ  sitteth  on  the  right  hand 
of  God."  In  Phil.,  ii,  after  describing 
the  self-sacrifice  and  humiliation  of 
Jesus,  he  adds, '^  Therefore  God  also 
hath  highly  exalted  Him  and  given 
Him  a  name  that  is  above  every  name: 
that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee 
should  bow  and  every  tongue  confess 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  to  the  gloiy 
of  God  the  Father." 

The  epistle  to  the  Hebrews  is  full  of 
this  subject.   ''  Who  being  the  briglit- 


THE  FORTY   DAYS  283 

ness  of  His  glory  and  the  express 
image  of  His  person,  and  upholding 
all  things  by  the  word  of  His  power, 
when  He  had  by  Himself  purged 
our  sins,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand 
of  the  majesty  on  high."  And  again, 
*'For  He  hath  put  all  things  under 
His  feet.  For  in  that  He  hath  put 
all  things  under  His  feet  he  left  noth- 
ing that  is  not  put  under  Him. "  ' '  See- 
ing, therefore,'  he  adds,  'Hhat  we 
have  a  great  High  Priest  that  has 
passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the 
Son  of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our  pro- 
fession. For  we  have  not  a  High 
Priest  that  cannot  be  touched  with 
the  feeling  of  our  infirmitie-*,  but  was 
in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are, 
yet  without  sin.     Let  us,  therefore, 


284  THE   CHRIST   OF 

come  boldly  unto  the  throne  of  grace, 
that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find 
grace  to  help  in  time  of  need."  Still 
later  he  speaks  of  Him  as  the  One 
who  ''hath  entered  into  heaven  itself,  . 
now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God 
for  us,"  and  declares  that  "  He  is  able 
to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  that 
come  unto  God  by  Him,  seeing  He 
ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for 
them."  "  For  such  a  High  Priest  be- 
came us,  w^ho  is  holy,  harmless,  unde- 
filed,  separate  from  sinners,  and  made 
higher  than  the  heavens." 

Peter  speaks  of  Him  as  having  gone 
into  heaven,  ''angels,  authorities  and 
powers  beingmade  subject  unto  Him.'' 
John  declares  that  we  have  an  Advo- 
cate with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  285 

righteous.  And  finally,  in  the  Apoca- 
lyptic vision,  we  behold  Him,  again 
and  again,  in  His  enthronement, 
grace  and  glory.  In  the  first  chap- 
ter we  have  a  vision  of  Him  as  our 
Priest.  ^^And  in  the  midst  of  the 
seven  candlesticks  one  like  unto  the 
Son  of  Man,  clothed  with  a  garment 
down  to  the  foot,  and  girt  about  the 
paps  with  a  golden  girdle.  His  head 
and  His  hairs  were  white  like  wool, 
as  white  as  snow  ;  and  His  eyes  were 
as  a  flame  of  fire ;  and  His  feet  like 
unto  fine  brass  as  if  they  burned  in 
a  furnace  ;  and  His  voice  as  the  sound 
of  many  waters.  And  He  had  in 
His  right  hand  seven  stars ;  and  out 
of  His  mouth  went  a  sharp  two-edged 
sword  J  and  His  countenance  was  as 


286  THE  CHRIST  OP 

the  sun  shining  in  his  strength.  And 
when  I  saw  Him  I  fell  at  His  feet  as 
dead.  And  He  laid  His  right  hand 
upon  me,  saying  unto  me,  Fear  not ; 
I  am  the  first  and  the  last  :  I  am  Ho 
that  liveth  and  was  dead  ;  and  behold, 
I  am  alive  for  evermore.  Amen  ;  and 
have  the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death." 
Jnthe  fifth  chapter  we  behold  Him 
as  the  Priest-King,  the  Lion  and  the 
Lamb  together,  combining  almighti- 
ness  and  mercy,  as  He  takes  the  book 
to  open  the  seals,  and  administer 
the  mediatorial  kingdom.  And  in  tho 
nineteenth  chapter  we  behold  Him  in 
His  royal  majesty  about  to  }eave  tho 
heavenly  throne  and  assume  His 
millennial  kingdom  on  earth. 
Such  are  some  of  the  scattered  raj^s 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  28^ 

of  light  which  shine  from  the  ex- 
cellent glory,  upon  the  exalted  per- 
son of  the  ascended  Christ.  Let  us 
gather  up  into  a  simple  and  practical 
focus  some  of  their  lessons.  What 
was  the  purpose  and  value  of  Christ's 
ascension  ? 

/"l.  It  was  the  reward  of  His  suffer- 
ings and  obediem^.e.  ■  What  an  eclipse 
those  thirty-three  and  a  half  years 
had  been !  What  an  awful  descent 
for  the  Son  of  God  !  What  a  depth 
of  humiliation,  what  a  strange  bap- 
tism of  agony  and  shame  !  What 
an  awful  shadow  of  sin  and  the  curse 
of  a  Holy  God  and  of  a  broken  law  ! 
Oh,  how  sweet  heaven  and  home 
must  have  been  to  His  heart  !  What 
a  joy  Divine  and  Infinite  to  return  to 


288  THE   CHRIST    OP 

the  bosom  of  His  Father  and  His 
own  Primeval  place  of  dignity  and 
glory  !  Well  might  He  say  to  them, 
"  If  ye  loved  me  ye  would  rejoice  be- 
cause I  go  unto  my  Father."  Well 
may  we  join  in  the  welcome  home  of 
our  suffering  Eedeemer  and  cry, 

*' Jesas  hail !  enthroned  in  glory, 
There  forever  to  abide ; 
All  the  heavenly  hosts  adore  Thee, 
Seated  at  Thy  Father's  side." 

2.  It  was  the  seal  of  God  upon  the 
finished  work  of  redemption  and  the 
final  token  of  His"  f  uU  acceptance  of 
Christ's  gr^at  sacrifice.  He  had  gone 
forth  from  heaven  on  a  mission  well 
understood,  to  assume  the  guilt  of  a 
fallen  world  and  undertake  the  task 
of  its  reconciliation  to  God.     He  had 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  289 

stood  on  earth,  under  the  eyes  of 
God  and  of  angels,  and  solemnly  as-  ^ 
sumed  in  His  baptism  the  sins  of 
man.  He  had  hung  on  the  cross  of 
Calvary,  under  the  astonished  gaze 
of  the  heavenly  world,  in  the  name 
and  on  behalf  of  sinful  men,  as  the 
embodiment  of  sin  and  the  represen- 
tative of  lost  humanity.  Had  He 
failed  in  His  mighty  task.  He  never 
could  have  entered  heaven  again  as  a 
Victor.  But  now  we  see  Him  return- 
ing in  majestic  triumph,  all  angels 
waiting  upon  Him  in  loving  homage, 
and  the  Father  setting  Him  at  His 
own  right  hand  in  the  place  of  the 
highest  honor  and  kingly  power  ;  and 
we  know  that  His  work  must  have 
been  accepted  and  His  great  under- 


290  THE   CHRIST   OF 

taking  gloriously  accomplished.  For 
He  still  occupies  this  place  in  our 
name  and  nature,  and  takes  His  posi- 
tion, not  alone,  but  in  our  behalf. 
Therefore  His  glory  is  the  seal  of  our 
salvation,  and  all  His  triumph  pro- 
claims our  triumph  sure. 

3.  Christ's  ascension  was  the  ex- 
altation of  man  to  the  right  hand  of 
God.  It  was  as  Man  He  entered 
heaven  and  sat  upon  His  throne.  (  It 
is  as  the  Son  of  Man,  with  a  human 
face  and  form,  that  He  is  sitting 
there  to-day.  N  It  is  in  our  behalf 
that  He  has  gone  up  to  God./  He 
claims  our  place  there,  and  keeps  it 
till  we  come.  '^What  an  honor  to  the 
once  lost  human  race  was  the  ascen- 
sion of  Christ  1    It  was  the  entrance 


THE  FORTY    DAY^  291 

of  a  Man  to  the  highest  place  in  the 
heavenly  world,  with  the  first-fruits 
of  this  new  race  following  in  His 
train  and  taking  a  place  with  Him 
that  angels  could  not  claim.  Lord, 
what  is  man  that  Thou  hast  set  Thine 
heart  upon  him  and  so  strangely  re- 
deemed and  lifted  him  up  for  ever  ? 
Oh,  let  us  rejoice  and  shout  for  joy 
as  we  see  the  Son  of  G  od  ascend  and 
write  our  names  upon  the  seats  of 
glory,  as  our  great  Forerunner  !  God 
has  recognized  man's  right  to  enter 
heaven,  to  enter  it  as  a  King,  to  enter 
its  highest  place  of  dignity  and  bles- 
sing through  the  ascension  of  the 
Son  of  Man. 

4.  The  ascension  of  Jesus  brought 
the  expulsion  of  Satan  and  the  set- 


293  THE   CHRIST  Oie* 

tling  forevermore  of  every  question 
affecting  our  standing  in  the  presence 
of  God.  In  the  twelfth  chapter  of 
Revelation  there  is  a  fine  picture  of 
the  Man  Child,  born  of  the  symbol- 
ical woman^  and  caught  up  to  the 
throne  of  God  from  the  devouring 
fury  of  the  Dragon.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  this  Man  Child  represents 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
picture  referred  to  His  Ascension. 
This  is  followed  in  the  chapter  quoted, 
by  a  description  of  the  conflict  which 
followed  in  heaven,  and  the  casting- 
out  of  Satan  and  his  angels,  who 
had  hitherto  enjoyed  access  to  the 
presence  of  God  to  accuse  the  saints, 
as  we  find  him  doing  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament in  the  case  of  Job  and  Joshua. 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  293 

But  now  the  Advocate  of  the  saints 
appears  with  the  evidences  of  the 
settlement  of  all  claims  against  them. 
He  lays  His  own  precious  blood  at 
the  foot  of  the  throne,  and,  by  His 
finished  work  claims  the  settling 
and  silencing  forever  of  every  charge 
against  them,  and  immediately  the 
case  is  settled.  The  sentence  of  the 
Court  is  publicly  declared,  and  the 
accusing  counsel  is  dismissed  forever. 
The  case  is  over,  and  never  again 
may  a  word  of  accusation  be  heard 
against  them.  The  police  of  heaven 
are  commanded  to  drive  the  accusers 
from  the  judgment  seat,  and  Satan 
is  hurled  from  the  Holy  Presence, 
while  heaven  shouts  for  joy,  ^^Ee- 
joice,  ye  heavens,  for  the  accuser  of 


294  THE   CHRIST  OF 

our  brethren  is  cast  down  who  ac- 
cused them  day  and  night  before 
God."  Henceforth  no  charge  against 
us  can  come  to  His  ears,  and  all  we 
need  to  keep  us  in  victory  is  to  apply 
the  blessed  verse  that  follows,  "  They 
overcame  him  by  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  and  by  the  word  of  their  tes- 
timony.'* If  we  are  in  Christ  we 
may  truly  '^read  our  title  clear  to 
mansions  in  the  skies,"  and  shout 
with  the  great  apostle  of  faith ,  ' '  Who 
shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of 
God's  elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justifieth. 
Who  is  he  that  condemneth  ?  It  is 
Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather  is  risen 
again  and  is  even  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession 
for  us." 


THE    FORTY   DAYS  295 

5.  Christ's  ascension  was  the  begin- 
ning of  His  work  of  intercession 
as  our  great  High  Priest. 

This  glorious  ministry  had  been  set 
forth  by  its  most  perfect  type,  the 
Hebrew  high  priest,  as  he  entered 
into  the  holy  place  through  the  parted 
curtains  of  the  mystic  vail  and  repre- 
sented the  people  in  the  immediate 
presence  of  Jehovah  and  beneath  the 
Shekinah  glory  which  symbolized  the 
Father's  presence.  On  this  great 
ministry  our  beloved  Lord  was  now 
to  enter.  It  is  of  this  the  Apostle 
says,  that,  '^Christ  hath  not  entered 
into  the  holy  places  made  with  hands, 
but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear 
in  the  presence  of  God  for  us."  "  See- 
ing we  have  a  Great  High  Priest  who 


296  THE   CHRIST   OF 

is  passed  into  the  heavens,  Jesus  the 
Son  of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our  pro- 
fession." ''It  is  Christ  who  died, 
yea,  rather  is  risen  again  who  is  even 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also 
maketh  intercession  for  us." 

The  full  significance  of  this  work 
leads  us  into  one  of  the  most  com- 
forting and  inspiring  themes  of  Holy 
Scripture.  As  our  High  Priest,  His 
business  is  to  represent  us  constantly 
to  the  Father,  to  guard  our  interests, 
to  keep  us  ever  in  the  Divine  favor 
and  fellowhip,  to  cover  all  our  sins 
with  His  precious  blood,  to  rendej; 
our  persons  accepted  in  His  person 
and  name,  to  present  His  merits  and 
righteousness  in  our  behalf,  to  oiTer 
our  petitions  at  the  throne  of  grace 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  297 

and  claim  our  requests  on  His  own 
account,  and  then  to  transmit  to  us 
the  assurance  of  the  answer  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  and  to  ask  for  us  Him- 
self, ten  thousand  things  that  we 
know  not  enougli  to  ask  for  our- 
selves, and  constantly  to  guard  our 
every  interest  with  watchful  and  un- 
sk^eping  love  and  care.  As  our  great 
High  Priest,  it  is  His  to  deal  with 
the  whole  question  of  our  sins  and 
failures,  and  settle  every  matter 
respecting  our  salvation  and  our 
spiritual  interests.  It  is  His  to  be 
^'touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  in- 
firmities," to  sympathize  with  our 
sorrows  and  to  send  us  comfort  and 
relief  in  time  of  need.  This  inter- 
cession is  most  tender,  unceasing  and 


298  THE   CHRIST   OF 

personal.  Like  Aaron,  who  bore  the 
tribes  of  Israel  engraven  upon  his 
shoulders  and  upon  his  breast,  so 
Jesus  bears  us  individually  upon  His 
heart  and  upon  His  hands,  and  holds 
us  up  as  part  of  Himself  to  His 
Father's  love  and  blessing  evermore. 

Where  high  the  heavenly  temple  stands, 
The  House  of  God,  not  made  with  haods, 

Til  is  Great  High  Priest  our  nature  wears, 
The  Guardian  of  mankind  appears. 

He,  who  with  men  their  surety  stood, 
An  i  poured  on  eartli  His  precious  blood, 

Pursues  in  heaven  Hi's  mighty  i)lan, 
The  Saviour  and  the  Friend  of  man. 

Though  now  ascended  up  on  high, 
He  bends  to  earth  a  Brother's  eye. 

Partaker  of  the  human  name, 

He  knows  the  frailty  of  our  frame. 


THE  FORTY   DAYS  299 

In  every  pang  that  rends  the  heart, 
The  Man  of  Sorrows  has  a  part ; 

He  sympathizes  with  our  grief, 
And  to  the  sufferer  sends  relief. 

Oh,  may  we  not  well  rejoice  in  that 
blessed  Ascension  that  has  given  us 
such  a  Friend  at  our  Father's  side  !  It 
it  not  so  much  that  the  Father  did  not 
love  us,  or  that  we  needed  Him  to 
propitiate  an  angry  King  ;  but  we 
need  this  human  channel  of  commun- 
ion with  the  Sovereign  Deity  and 
glorious  Father,  whom,  apart  from 
Jesus,  we  could  never  have  known 
and  never  have  dared  thus  boldly  to 
approach.  But  in  Ilis  name,  who 
touches  both  God  and  man  in  His 
double  nature,  we  are  brought  into 
union  and  fellowship  with  the  Deity 


300  THE   CHRIST  OF 

Himself,  and  ^'we,  who  sometime 
were  afar  off,  are  made  nigh,"  and 
''have  access  through  Him  to  the 
Father."      ; 

6,  The  ascension  of  Christ  was 
necessary  in  order  to  His  assumption 
of  His  kingly  place  on  the  media- 
torial throne.  For,  hke  Melchizedeck 
of  old.  He  is  both  Priest  and  King. 
His  Ascension  has  exalted  Him  to  a 
literal  throne  of  absolute  sovereignty 
over  "  all  power  in  heaven  and  in 
earth."  The  Son  of  God  to-day  has 
supreme  sway  over  all  this  mighty 
universe.  He  has  ascended  up  ''far 
above  all  principality  and  power  and 
might  and  dominion  and  every  name 
that  is  named,"  and  has  become 
"Head  overall  things  for  His  church." 


THE   FORTY  DAYS  301 

There  is  no  natural  law  but  is  now 
perfectly  subject  to  His  control. 
There  is  no  physical  force  but  He 
can  use  or  restrain  at  His  Sovereign 
pleasure.  There  is  no  created  in- 
telhgence  but  He  can  move  at  His 
will  or  destroy  at  His  command.  His 
ascension  has  forever  challenged  the 
absolute  despotism  of  natural  law 
and  physical  force^  and  placed  at  the 
command  of  faith  the  highest  force, 
which  wiU  be  employed  whenever 
His  kingdom  requires  it,  in  defiance 
of  every  natural  and  ordinary  prin- 
ciple. True,  He  does  not  ordinarily 
need  to  act  in  a  manner  contrary  to 
existing  laws  and  principles,  any 
more  than  the  entry  of  the  young 
king  of  Germany  upon  the  adminis- 


302  THE  CHRIST  OF 

tration  of  the  empire  requires  him 
to  change  the  machinery  of  the  gov- 
ernment. *He  usually  works  in  a 
line  with  it,  but  is  always  supreme 
above  it.  So  the  Son  of  God,  sitting 
upon  the  throne  of  providence  and 
grace,  does  not  constantly  assert  His 
power  by  coming  into  collision  with 
the  existing  machinery  of  the  natural 
world,  but  works  in  harmony  with 
it  and  uses  it  for  His  own  higher 
purpose. 

But  He  is  perfectly  at  liberty  to 
suspend  it  and  contradict  it  when  He 
so  pleases.  The  ascension  of  Christ, 
therefore,  has  given  us  the  right  to 
expect  His  interposition,  even  to  the 
utmost  extent  of  the  miraculous  and 
supernatural,  when  the  interests  of 


THE   FORTY   DAYS  o08 

His  kingdom  truly  requires  it ;  and 
yet  His  power  may  be  no  less  mighty 
when  it  is  working  along  lines  of 
perfect  simplicity  and  naturalness. 

Christ  is  King  of  nations.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  yet  He  has  been  con- 
trolling for  eighteen  centuries  the 
dynasties  and  kingdoms  of  earth  in 
accordance  with  Daniels  prophecy, 
and  along  the  lines  which  are  to  de- 
velop to  His  ow^n  Second  Coming. 
He  is  King  and  Head  of  His  Chm'ch. 
Christ  is  King  of  nature  and  provi- 
dence. His  hand  makes  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that 
love  God.  His  power  appears  in 
every  chapter  of  the  story  of  the 
Apostolic  Church.  We  see  Him 
working  in  the  miractes  of  Pente- 


.304  THE   CHRIST    Oii^ 

cost,  ill  Samaria,  Joi)pa,  Lystra  and 
Malta.  We  see  Him  opening  Peter's 
prison  and  subduing  Paul  with  one 
kingly  glance  of  love  and  power.  Wo 
see  Him.  carrying  the  great  Apostle^ 
as  with  a  charmed  life,  through  the 
perils  of  Asia  Minor,  the  prison  of 
Philippi,  the  mobs  of  Corinth  and 
Athens,  the  murderous  Jews  of 
Jerusalem,  the  conspiracies  that  sur- 
lounded  him  at  Caesarea,  the  wild 
Euroclydon  of  the  Adriatic  and  even 
the  terrors  of  the  Coliseum  ;  until  at 
last  the  Apostle  could  say,  as  he  re- 
called that  glorious  Presence  that  had 
covered  him  with  its  shelter  in  all 
his  marvelous  life,  **  The  Lord  will 
deliver  me  from  every  evil  work  and 
preserve  me  unto  His  heavenly 
kingdom." 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  S05 

Is  He  our  King?  Have  we  en- 
tlironed  Him  above  every  difficulty, 
^  adversary  and  circumstances,  and 
placed  on  His  head  many  crowns  ?  It 
w^as  for  this  that  He  ascended.  He 
holds  the  reins  of  universal  power 
for  our  sake  and  on  our  account.  He 
is  Head  over  all  things  for  the  church 
which  is  His  body.  Not  for  Himself 
but  for  you  and  me  does  He  sit  above 
the  circle  of  the  stars  and  hold  the 
reins  of  universal  government.  Oh, 
let  Him  be  our  *^  Wonderful  Coun- 
sellor, our  Mighty  God,"  and  "  of  the 
increase  of  His  government  and  of 
His  peace  there  shall  be  no  end  ! "    -^ 

('^  7.  Christ  ascended  to  the  right  A 
hand  of  God  that  He  might  lift  us  / 
up  into  an  ascension  life,  ^ 


306  THE  CHRIST  OF 

His  ascension  is  the  type  of  our 
highest  spiritual  hfe.  Not  only  would 
He  have  us  risen  with  Him  from  the 
death  of  the  past,  but  also  ascended 
with  Him  over  this  present  evil 
world  and  the  power  of  the  natural 
and  temporal.  For  we  are  seated 
with  Him  in  heavenly  places,  and  we 
are  to  recognize  ourselves  as  actually 
there,  just  as  much  as  if  the  judg- 
ment was  past,  and  we  were  already 
seated,  in  the  ages  to  come,  upon  our 
kingly  thrones. 

(  This  is  a  very  important  matter 
and  the  true  key  to  victory  in  our 
Christian  life.  Everything  depends 
upon  the  standpoint  from  which  we 
look  at  things.  Contemplating  our 
troubles  from  our  present  apparent 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  30; 

condition,  they  seem  to  be  above  us, 
(out  if  we  look  at  them  as  Christ  sees 
them,  and  as  we  shall  see  them  in  a 
little  while,  they  will  cease  to  alarm 
or  distress  us.  jOur  faith  will -raise 
us  above  them,  and  enable  us  to  see 
them  as  more  than  conquered;  and 
simply  as  occasions  for  greater  good 
and  grander  victoryr^ 

Climbing  a  cloud  -  encompassed 
mountain,  a  party  of  travelers  be- 
came discouraged  and  begged  their 
guide  to  take  them  down.  They 
could  not  see  a  step  before  them 
through  the  mist  that  surrounded 
them  with  its  damp  and  dreary  folds, 
and  they  feared  that  they  should 
lose  their  way  and  be  involved  in 
ruin.     But  the  guide  only  answered, 


308  THE  CHRIST  OF 

*'Nay,  friends,  let  us  not  go  down, 
but  let  us  go  up  a  little  higher  and 
we  shall  be  above  the  clouds."  And, 
sure  enough,  a  few  bold  strides  in 
his  footsteps  up  the  steep  declivity, 
and  k) !  the  full  sunlight  of  heaven 
burst  upon  them,  and  below  them 
lay  the  billowy  landscape  of  beauti- 
ful and  many-tinted  cloudland,  a 
spectacle  of  glory. 

And  so  the  true  victory  over  trial 
is  to  rise  above  it.  A  little  higher, 
beloved,  and  you  shall  dwell,  like 
Joshua,  in  Timnath-Serah,  in  the 
City  of  the  Sun,  and  ''thy  sun  shall 
no  more  go  down,  but  the  Lord  shall 
be  thy  everlasting  light." 

It  is  possible  to  look  at  everything 
as  Christ  is  looking  at  it,  and  see  it 


THE  FORTY  DAYS  309 

as  you  shall  see  it  when  all  is  ended. 
It  is  possible  to  pray  as  Christ  prays 
from  heaven,  and  to  be  conscious 
that  our  glorious  Great  High  Priest 
is  commanding  and  executing  it 
from  on  high,  and  that  all  things 
must  give  way  before  His  power  and 
will.  It  is  possible  to  recognize  our- 
selves in  the  light  of  a  few  years 
hence,  when  we  shall  be  sitting  with 
Him  in  the  seats  where  our  names 
are  already  written  and  our  place 
prepared,  and  where  God.  ever  re- 
gards us  as  already  seated.  Oh,  what 
dignity  and  triumph  this  will  give 
to  the  humblest  career,  and  we  shall 
walk  through  earth  as  the  children 
of  a  King;  the  heirs  of  God  and  joint- 
heirs  with  Jesus  Christ.   For  He  who 


810  THE   CHRIST  OF 

sitteth  there  is  but  the  other  part  of 
our  personal  Hfe,  and  as  we  enter 
into  closer  union  with  His  person, 
we  shall  rise  into  the  constant  reali- 
zation of  His  glorious  power,  and 
learn  to  shout  with  the  most  tried 
and  yet  the  most  triumphant  of 
mortals,  ''Who  shall  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  Shall  trib- 
ulation, or  distress,  or  persecution, 
or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril  oi 
sword  ?  Nay,  in  all  these  things  we 
are  more  than  conquerors  through 
Him  that  loved  us." 

And  now,  beloved,  the  forty  days 
are  past.  What  have  they  been  to 
us?  How  much  more  have  they 
brought  us  of  His  living  reality  and 
ceaseless  presence  ?    And  shall  they 


THE  FORTY    DAYS  811 

now  lift  us  up  with  Him  into  a  yet 
higher  place  of  fellowship,  exaltatk  n 
and  victory  ?  Let  us  arise' !  Let  us 
ascend  !  Let  us  dwell  on  high  !  The 
veil  is  rent.  The  Holiest  is  open. 
The  Holy  Ghost  is  come.  The  heavens 
are  opened,  and  the  angels  of  God 
are  ascending  and  descending  upon 
the  Son  of  Man.  Come  ye,  0  house 
of  Jacob,  and  walk  in  the  light  of  the 
Lord. 

Go  up,  go  up  my  heart, 
Dwell  with  thy  God  above, 

For  here  thou  can'st  not  rest, 
Nor  here  give  out  thy  love. 

Go  up,  go  up  my  heart, 

Be  not  a  trifler  here  ; 
Ascend  above  these  clouds,-^ 

Dwell  in  a  higher  sphero. 

Go  up,  reluctant  heart, 

Take  up  thy  rest  above  ; 
Arise,  earth-clingingthoughts,— ^ 

Atcend,  my  lingering  love. 


UNIYEESITY 


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